A nationally recognized leader in geriatrics and palliative care, VJ Periyakoil is an affiliate of the Stanford Center on Longevity, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford School of Medicine. She is also the Director of Stanford Palliative Care Education & Training Program, and the Stanford Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. Her research focuses on wellbeing of multi-cultural persons in the context of geriatrics, ethno-geriatrics and hospice, palliative care and end-of-life care.

Recently, at SCL’s Family Decision-Making Surrounding Life-Threatening Illness launch conference, Dr. Periyakoil presented her current research findings about the barriers that doctors and patients have when attempting to discuss end-of-life options. In addition, she described the Stanford School of Medicine’s Letter Project as a way of improving the process of identifying one’s wishes and relaying them to medical providers and families. Please enjoy the links to her research publication, her editorial in the New York Times, and more information about the Letter Project.

PLOS Paper >
New York Times op-ed >
New York Times patient video >
Stanford Letter Project Portal >