The mission of our academic department is to serve and support those with serious illness across the care continuum through multi-setting, interdisciplinary, team-based care.

Kaiser Permanente offers a wide range of Palliative Medicine services. Our goal is to optimize whole-person, evidence-based care across the continuum of serious illness. Our wide range of services enable us to care for our patients along the care continuum and across multiple settings, including hospital, home, clinic and post-acute. Our renowned Home-Based Palliative Care Program has received national recognition as a best practice and has been awarded a $14 million research grant .

We have a rich history in this subspecialty. Since 1978, our department has run a hospice agency, with additional palliative medicine services added throughout the decades. Likewise, our fellowship, which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary, offers a history of quality, evidence-based training. Our fellows benefit from a large and diverse faculty of 19 physicians who have a passion for teaching and mentorship.

Our fellowship program has close affiliations and collaborations with the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program, the Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine and Kaiser Permanente Research.

Fellowship Program Mission:

  • To train proficient clinician leaders and educators in providing specialized, evidence-based, whole- person care in all palliative care settings. Our graduates have become fellowship directors, medical directors, and leaders in education and care delivery.
  • To provide a robust educational experience across the continuum of serious illness. Our fellows are equipped to practice palliative medicine in any palliative setting of their choice, including inpatient, home-based palliative, hospice, clinic and post-acute.
  • To familiarize our learners with a diverse range of illnesses and healthcare systems, including a tertiary, academic hospital (Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center), a community-based hospital (Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center), a children’s hospital (Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles) and a comprehensive cancer center (City of Hope Cancer Hospital).
  • To promote personal wellness and character development through an innovative wellness curriculum and strong mentorship