Dana Greenfield, MD, PhD

Palliative care comes from the Latin word “pailliare,” which means “to cloak.” In other words, palliative care works as an added layer of comfort and care. We collaborate with patients’ primary oncologists and work closely with psychologists and psychiatrists in our Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, as well as practitioners in integrative medicine and spiritual care. Our work is interdisciplinary and holistic; we create care plans that integrate mind, body, and spirit.

We also help people facing difficult circumstances and deep uncertainty to clarify their treatment goals and values. As we form relationships with our patients and their families, we get to know their needs and preferences. Our priority is to help patients make decisions and receive care in line with those values and goals while maximizing their quality of life. Having a child or young adult with cancer can be an incredibly isolating and daunting experience. My hope is that patients feel more at ease and understood after they have met with our pain and palliative care team, and that we can make their way forward just a little gentler.

I was inspired to go into palliative care when I was training in pediatrics and working with many families facing the unimaginable: serious illness in a child. My practice is also informed by my training and practice as a medical anthropologist. Both fields of anthropology and palliative care invite us to understand patients in their broader familial and social contexts and how children and their families face painful circumstances. Palliative care allows us to sit with families’ profound grief, as well as their joy, helping them to make every day as good as it can be. My goal is to accompany children and their families through their illness with this holistic approach to wellbeing in mind. It is an incredible honor and privilege to do this work.

Outside of work, I find solace in nature. I love hiking the redwoods and coastline of northern California, my former home, and exploring the urban wilderness of New York City. When I am not able to get outside, music is my other spiritual home. I love to sing and make music with my family.