Several factors motivated me to become a doctor. Most importantly, I like to talk to people, especially elderly people with advanced illness. I was inspired by my grandmother who always received sick people in her house where she cared for them with prayers and home remedies, and by my grandfather, who due to prolonged illness, lived in my home where I helped take care of him. Most recently, I have seen a close friend go through cancer and chemotherapy treatment. She encountered many difficulties and challenges, some resulting from the fragmented palliative care services in St. Louis, which caused her and all of us around her to suffer. This program will advance my goals as an educator and palliative medicine leader at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, ultimately improving care for patients in St. Louis who are being treated for a serious illness.