Women
G of achievement
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Dr. Alisha Benner G
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Palliative medicine physician, Duke University Health System Assistant professor, Duke University School of Medicine Program director, Duke Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
mid the bustling corridors and near-constant hum of activity at the Duke Cancer Center, Dr. Alisha Benner knows the value of two important tenets that can be rare to find in modern medicine today: silence and time. “You should never speak more than 50% of the time in any patient interaction,” Alisha says of providers of palliative care, a relatively new medical specialty with expertise in treating both physical and emotional symptoms for those with serious illnesses. Palliative medicine clinicians work intimately with patients and the rest of their medical team to help them navigate their health care in all its stages and understand treatment options with the goal of providing expert symptom management and emotional support for them and their loved ones along their medical journey. “Silence is actually one of our most important tools; it’s in that quiet space that we can learn a lot from our patients – how they’re feeling, their insights into their health status, what they are worried about, the important, hard questions they have, and really allow them to consider their options.”
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