Transforming Health Care through the Paradigm of Palliative Care

Originally presented November 16, 2018

Dr. BJ Miller, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California San Francisco

During his sophomore year at Princeton, BJ Miller ’93 was horsing around with friends after leaving a party. He climbed on top of the parked Dinky shuttle train, and 11,000 volts arced from the power line through the watch on his left hand, running through his body. He was severely burned and nearly died. The accident resulted in the loss of his legs below the knee and his left forearm. Today Miller is a palliative-care doctor, working to ease patients’ physical and emotional suffering at their most vulnerable point in life — something for which he’s eminently qualified. Dr. Miller discusses how health care is in need of redesign and transformation, to be patient-centric.