Current Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows
Leigh A. Anderson, MD
PGY 4
Dr. Anderson graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in May 2018 and completed her residency in June 2021 at the Ascenscion St. Vincent Health Internal Medicine Residency Program.
Why did you choose Indiana University School of Medicine Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program?
"I went to IUSM for medical school and St. Vincent's Hospital for my residency. My husband is in his 4th year of his PM&R fellowship at IU. My parents are an hour outside of Indy. I was born and raised here, I love the area, and I hope to stick around!
What interests you in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
"The time at the end of life is a sacred time. Being allowed into that space with families as a doctor is something I treasure. I'm particularly drawn to hospice because I have found nothing more rewarding than the team effort of bringing peace and comfort to both a patient and their family during a precious time."
Hussain I. Rangoonwala, MD, MBBS
PGY 4
Dr. Rangoonwala graduated from Kasturba Medical College Mangalore in 2015. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine in 2021 at the Creighton University School of Medicine.
Why did you choose Indiana University School of Medicine Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program?
"I chose this program due to its focus on academic excellence, research, and collaboration. My active clinical interests include the delivery of palliative care in the cancer patient population. IU, with its innovative cancer center and collaboration between palliative care and oncology, piqued my interest. It is also one of the nation's few programs which have a global palliative care program as part of their fellowship curriculum, which is definitely an avenue that I am keen on exploring."
What interests you in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
"Witnessing the lack of supportive care of multiple family members with terminal cancers, particularly at the end of life, left an indelible impression in the mind of my teenage self. Through my internal medicine residency, I was able to appreciate the role of hospice/palliative care in the management of complex patients, particularly in the current pandemic. Translating complicated medical jargon into easily chewable information for patients to make informed decisions is a big draw for me towards this field."
Lindsay A. Schroeder, MD, MS
PGY 4
Dr. Schroeder graduated from Indiana University School of Medicine in May 2014 and completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at University of Texas Southwestern in June 2017.
Why did you choose Indiana University School of Medicine Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program?
"I was extremely impressed by the emphasis the program places on diversity, specifically learning how to communicate goals of care conversations with varying populations/belief systems. Furthermore, I know that the IUSM reputation is respected nationwide."
What interests you in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
"Working in the Emergency Department for the last seven years, I have found some of my most fulfilling patient encounters have been with patients whereby we are able to prioritize the patient's comfort, limit futile interventions, and have honest discussions about their life limiting illnesses. Generally, this resulted in direct Emergency Department-to-Hospice transfers or admission for comfort care, which led me to pursue further training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine."
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Testimonials from former Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows
“…the year I spent in this program was the most enlightening (and most fun) year of my career to date. I chose this program due to its outstanding faculty and its culture of compassionate, patient-centered care, and it was everything I’d hoped for and more. There are so many opportunities to form meaningful connections with patients and families, and the faculty and staff are wonderfully warm and supportive. I learned a lot medically/academically, but even more importantly, this fellowship helped me to grow personally/emotionally/spiritually and prepared me well for the next phase of my career as a full-time palliative medicine specialist.”
“Eskenazi is a wonderful home base for the fellowship, exhibiting a culture of service to the community that is truly inspiring.”
“Everything I learned during the inpatient hospice experience at CHC turned out to be tremendously useful in my current job, as I have a much better understanding of how inpatient hospice works.”
“PalliTalk conference in Madison was exceptional, primarily for its stated purpose to further develop communication skills, though also for networking with peers in the palliative care world and building camaraderie with my co-fellows.”
“The reputations of the fellowship faculty as great clinicians, as well as educators and mentors, attracted me to the program. The HPM fellowship offered a wide variety of experiences in the all-to-brief year of fellowship training. I knew the core inpatient palliative care rotations would allow me to develop the skillset necessary to function as an inpatient palliative care physician, though I also appreciated the amount of elective time available to pursue my own interests and experiences that I otherwise may never have had.”
“The inpatient palliative care rotations gave me confidence in my ability to transition fairly easily into an inpatient palliative care position. I did leave Indiana to practice in a different state, though found no significant barriers in obtaining a position elsewhere.”
“The international elective in Eldoret, Kenya gave me an opportunity to join an inpatient palliative care team at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, the site of a sustained, decades-long partnership that has become a model for global health work. While facilities and resources may vary from the US, I found my role on the team to be similar to that of the inpatient palliative care rotations. My time was predominantly spent having goals of care conversations with patients (often via interpreter) as well as symptom management. The team and patients there are familiar with having international visitors, so I did not feel to be a significant distraction, but rather an extra provider who could help the team accomplish the day's work. During my time, there was a nurse who had recently joined the palliative care team. I often would work with her and she would help with interpreting while I was able to provide education on palliative care topics (medications, communication strategies, prognostication).”
“This program also offers excellent work - life balance with focus on physician wellness.”