Hi r/Science! My name is Dr. Arif Kamal and I am a palliative care physician at Duke University. Palliative care, also known as palliative medicine, is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team of palliative care doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment. As a palliative care physician, I hope to demystify what palliative care means to those who worry that a focus on quality of life during incurable illness may mean shortening life in the process, or even worse, that we have anything to do with “death panels”. In addition to direct patient care, I also co-founded the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance, a collaboration of palliative care organizations dedicated to exploring how to further best practices and quality within the palliative care field. On October 15th, we will be holding the first virtual conference dedicated to quality within palliative care called the Quality Matters Conference. To find out more about the GPCQA and the Quality Matters Conference, visit us at www.gpcqa.org. I will be answering your questions at 4 pm ET (1 pm PT, 9 pm UTC). Ask Me Anything! Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @arifkamalmd and the Global Palliative Care Quality Alliance @GPCQA