Dr. John Mulder is a pioneering member of the palliative care specialty. Currently, he is chief medical consultant for hospice and palliative care at Holland Home, the largest provider of elder care services in Michigan. He also serves as executive director for the Trillium Institute, which provides education for clinicians on managing serious and terminal illness. Dr. Mulder is director of palliative medicine for the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, medical director for palliative care at Metro Health, University of Michigan Health, and program director for Mercy Health Grand Rapids palliative medicine fellowship program. He is also a member of the board of directors for the data analytics firm Acclivity Health.
Palliative care must be the standard of care for all who have been diagnosed with progressive, advanced, and terminal illnesses. Never should we hear the phrase, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing more I can do,” when physicians encounter the failure of a curative course of therapy.