Challenging the meaning of palliative care, with Dr. Camilla Zimmermann

Episode Description

In this episode of Behind the Breakthrough, Dr. Camilla Zimmermann talks about how her research has helped change the practice of palliative care from end-of-life care to a more wholistic approach that answers the question, "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?" Dr. Zimmermann refers to herself and her team as "an extra layer of support" to those living with a terminal illness. We hear about how the practice has evolved and the vast potential of a research field that's still largely in its infancy. Dr. Zimmermann also reveals how the death of her parents when she was a teenager shaped her career, her initial reluctance to admit to colleagues her desire to be a palliative care specialist, and how stigma still hangs on the concept of what is palliative care.

About Dr. Camilla Zimmermann

Dr. Camilla Zimmermann is Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University Health Network, and a Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre Research Institute. She is the inaugural Director of the Division of Palliative Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Zimmermann is internationally known for her research on palliative and supportive cancer care, particularly in the area of early palliative care. Her research on early palliative care in patients with solid tumours and leukemia is funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.