Joel is a geriatrician at MGH who spent a few years with the palliative care service as a physician after completing his fellowship here. As a geriatrician, Joel continues to do a great deal of end-of-life care, and has found that healthcare's emphasis on cure evolves too slowly towards an emphasis on care in person's with chronic or progressive illness.

"I have learned so much from my older patients, who seem less afraid of their mortality. They have taught me that daily functioning and quality of life become more and more important as a serious illness progresses. This has led me to focus on managing the impact of a person's illness upon one's life, and not just on the disease."