Frank D. Ferris, MD Joins The Elizabeth Hospice as Medical Director of Education

The Elizabeth Hospice, California’s largest independent nonprofit provider of hospice care, palliative care and grief support services, welcomes Dr. Frank D. Ferris who will oversee The Elizabeth Hospice education department. He will be responsible for overseeing the hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program; helping prepare physicians to provide hospice and palliative care.

Dr. Ferris specializes in pain management and education. Frank is particularly interested in educational and research strategies to grow palliative care clinicians and leaders, and advance palliative care globally. He has published and spoken widely on many palliative care subjects, including effective approaches to caring for patients and families, education, and program implementation.

Dr. Ferris graduated from McMaster Medical School, Hamilton, Ontario in 1981. He pursued postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Radiation Oncology at the University of Toronto. He became Board-certified with the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 1998. He was a Faculty Scholar with the Project on Death in America from 1998-2000. He continues his appointment as Clinical Professor of Medicine (Voluntary) in the Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego.

Dr. Ferris has been recognized with a Golden Jubilee Award from Queen Elizabeth II and has received both Canadian and American National Leadership Awards. Before joining The Elizabeth Hospice, Dr.

Ferris was a Clinical Professor of Hospice and Palliative Care in the Department of Specialty Medicine at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He has taught palliative medicine in more than 40 countries in the last ten years.

“Dr. Frank Ferris aspires to integrate palliative care early into the treatment of all patients and families experiencing illnesses and educate physicians looking to pursue the subspecialty of hospice and palliative care medicine,” said Sarah McSpadden, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Elizabeth Hospice.