Pathways to Palliative Care

Asking and Answering Beautifully Crafted Questions: A Conversation with Dr. Yael Schenker

Cory Ingram, MD MS FAAHPM

For Yael Schenker, MD MAS FAAHPM, medicine always has been about the people, not the diseases. This likely rings true for many of us in hospice and palliative medicine; it's all about the patient's story. Schenker's own story started in Davis, CA. As a high school student, Schenker immersed herself in the culture and language of Colombia during an exchange program. Upon her return, while still in high school, she volunteered as a Spanish interpreter at a community health center, where she gleaned her first insights into clinical care and developed a keen understanding of the importance of communication in medicine. She experienced the challenges in language barriers and good communication firsthand—and she also considered opportunities for improvement. "We can do a better job talking with patients," she concluded.