Reasons to Give

Our daughter and sister Alyssa was extraordinary in her passion, sensitivity, care, and courage. Like countless others who have lost a loved one, our family dedicated itself to creating a legacy to honor Alyssa's lifelong values, character, and personal struggles as she faced death from more than 20 years of anorexia nervosa. Establishing the Alyssa L. Bogetz Educational Fund within AAHPM is Alyssa's legacy.

Alyssa passed away in the summer of 2021 at the age of 36. In her last few months, Alyssa came to understand and accept that she could no longer live with her disease. As she continued to lose weight, each member of the family struggled to reflect on her courage and accept her decisions. Alyssa was directed to outpatient palliative and home hospice care under the hospice rubric which was very rare for those with mental illness - even one where death is due to its medical consequences. The care was compassionate, but it lacked nuance in understanding the unique aspects of death from a primary mental illness.

As our family discussed Alyssa's legacy, it was clear that we needed to engage her values and dedication to medical education with her life experience, particularly Bogetz Family at its end. Our daughter, Jori, a member of the Academy, recognized that the fund's purpose dovetailed with AAHPM, its members, and the patients it serves. The Alyssa L. Bogetz Educational Fund provides for at least 10 years of AAHPM educational activities that catalyze through, discussion, debate, and learning about the role of hospice and palliative care in the context of those suffering from mental illness.

Our family is honored that this is the first such fund at AAHPM. The Academy welcomed our family and the legacy we wanted to create. In less than 4 months, the fund was created and supported through the generosity of our family, relatives, friends, members of AAHPM, and others who knew Alyssa. It was Alyssa herself who wanted these discussions to begin so that those unfortunate enough to follow in her footsteps might benefit.

As soon as I heard the opening remarks for this year’s Kathleen Foley Research Retreat, I felt like I was home. I was able to attend the retreat as an American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Research Scholar. I expected to build my palliative care research network with a national cohort of peers and mentors committed to advancing the evidence base of palliative care. What I didn’t expect were the deep personal connections and the shared mission.

Being in the room with the senior scholars who created palliative care research and junior scholars who will be stewarding the next phase was powerful and inspiring. I met other American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) Research Scholars, American Cancer Society Grantees, and NPCRC Kornfeld Scholars. The talent and heart of this group were remarkable—as was the diversity: PhDs, MDs, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, and many others were among our ranks studying palliative care across the lifespan from the perinatal period to centenarians and beyond.

The breadth of topics and methodologies presented over the two and a half-days reminded me of how deep our pool of talent and passion is in palliative care—and of the incredible potential for collaboration in advancing our field.
Meeting my fellow AAHPM research scholars was incredibly powerful.

The opportunity that my AAHPM Research Scholarship provided was one of the richest experiences I’ve had professionally. The information sharing was exciting. The sense of community and identity was even more valuable. Being in a group of people across career stages, disciplines, and institutions who shared a deep passion for palliative care research was a pivotal experience for my identity formation as a palliative care investigator. I returned home with new ideas, new collaborations, and a deepened sense of my professional self. I’m incredibly grateful to the AAHPM for the Research Scholars program that made it possible for me to come here, to the mentors and colleagues I met and learned from, and to our palliative care community that continues to grow and innovate.

In 2007, I began an incredible 13-year journey both personally and professionally as the CEO of AAHPM. I was familiar with hospice and palliative medicine early in my career from working for other medical specialty societies and the Alzheimer’s Association as well as from gerontology courses in college.

I started with AAHPM just as hospice and palliative medicine was being recognized as a subspecialty and fellowship training programs were being developed. Within a few year years, the field would certify more than 7,000 physicians and create slots for 350 trainees per year. It was a time of incredible growth, visibility, and success. The AAHPM team grew during that period as well.  Despite all this success, there continues to be a need for more professionals in hospice and palliative care. I am inspired and encouraged by the many amazing volunteer leaders who created and facilitate our Leadership Forum and other Academy leadership programming.

As my time was transitioning from a leadership role with the Academy to one with the Association Management Center, I wanted to give back to AAHPM and show my gratitude and commitment to the field. People asked how they could thank me for my years of service as I was preparing to transition into a new role. I asked them to join me in supporting the AAHPM Leadership Scholars Fund.

So many people in hospice and palliative care have forged their own leadership pathways. Several generous foundations funded leadership development at critical stages of the field’s early years and I saw firsthand the impact that had on people within the field throughout their careers. Many said they would not have been successful without that support. I wanted that to continue so that others could benefit from mentorship, programming, and connections through AAHPM.

I believe many of us have been forever changed by the experiences we’ve had within AAHPM. There are times in our lives when we “receive” and times when we “give.” The Academy is a unique medical specialty society because its members care deeply and genuinely about not just what they do but also one another. It is the home for a special group of people who provide exceptional care to individuals living with serious illnesses. This work and organization is so very important now and in the future.