Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship | Department of Internal Medicine | UC Davis Health

Welcome to the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program at the University of California, Davis!

Our innovative fellowship prepares physicians for excellence in clinical care, teaching, scholarship, research, and quality improvement. Our mission is to train compassionate, practice-ready physicians who provide expert pain and symptom management while guiding patients and families through complex medical decisions with skill, empathy, and respect.

Through intensive, supportive training across diverse clinical settings, our fellows gain the experience and confidence to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care to individuals and families facing serious illness.

Fellows rotate through a variety of healthcare systems, providing a uniquely broad clinical perspective and skill set. Our program includes core experiences at:

• UC Davis Medical Center (Including UCD Children’s Hospital)
• VA Northern California Health Care System
• Kaiser Permanente North Valley (Sacramento and Roseville)
• Kaiser Permanente Hospice Programs
• UC Davis Hospice Program

One of the highlights of our program is the breadth and diversity of unique consult experiences our fellows encounter. These include oncology, burn and trauma surgery, transplant, advanced cardiac and critical care, neurocritical care, neurosurgery, and many others, cultivating the expertise to provide compassionate, high-level palliative care in virtually any clinical setting.

Core educational experiences include regular didactic sessions, journal clubs, monthly board review sessions, and seminars focused on developing the competencies essential to future leaders in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Fellows have four weeks of elective time to explore areas such as oncology, outpatient or inpatient palliative care, hospice, pain medicine, pediatrics, substance use disorders, and bioethics. This elective time is intentionally flexible and can be personalized to support each fellow’s career interests and professional growth.

Teaching is an integral component of our fellowship. Fellows teach medical students, residents, and peers in multiple settings, with faculty observation and feedback to strengthen bedside and classroom teaching skills. Administrative, research, and quality improvement experiences are developed through graded leadership responsibilities and structured longitudinal scholarly projects.

Hospice and Palliative Medicine remains a growing and evolving field that depends on passionate, committed physicians to shape its future. Our faculty provide individualized mentorship to help fellows build professional portfolios, develop leadership abilities, and pursue their unique interests within the specialty.

We welcome you to apply to our program and join a community dedicated to shaping the future of Hospice and Palliative Medicine through compassion, scholarship, and leadership at UC Davis.

Warmest regards,

George Gallardo, M.D.
Fellowship Program Director
UC Davis Health Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program

Program Leadership

George Gallardo, M.D.
Health Sciences Assistant Clinical Professor
Fellowship Program Director, Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis Health

John MacMillan, M.D.
Clinical Professor
Medical Director, Palliative Care Programs
Vice-Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, UC Davis Health

Margaret Leung M.D.
UC Davis Assistant Clinical Professor in Internal Medicine, VCF
Site Director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
Kaiser Permanente Medical Group

Stephanie Lee, M.D.
UC Davis Associate Physician, Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Site Director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
UC Davis Health

Jessica Langston, M.D.
UC Davis Assistant Clinical Professor in Internal Medicine, VCF
Site Director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
VA Northern CA Health Care System

Candidate Information

We offer opportunities for individuals who have completed ACGME residency training in Internal Medicine, Anesthesiology, Family Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Psychiatry and Neurology, Surgery, Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine, Radiology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United States or Canada by the time they enter the fellowship-training program to apply to our program. Candidates must be board certified or eligible in their respective Boards and must possess a California medical license before the start date of the fellowship program. For more information, please visit your Board’s particular website or visit: American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (www.aahpm.org).

A J-1 visa is required for foreign nationals interested in the UC Davis Hospice and Palliative Care Program. We do not accept H1-B visas. Please see the UC Davis document " Requirements for International Medical Graduates at UC Davis Health. (PDF) for more information

We are always recruiting candidates and invite you to participate in the application process.

Applicants for 2027–2028 Academic Year

Our positions are filled through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Candidates may start their application process through ERAS in June. Applications will be released for review to us at the end of July. Interview dates will be in late August through October. All our interviews will be held virtually.

For full consideration, please submit your application and supporting materials by mid-August. We begin offering interviews on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons September-October.

Required application components to include in your ERAS application:

• Personal Statement
• Medical school transcript
• USMLE/COMPLEX transcript
• Medical school Dean's Letter (MSPE)
• Two (2) letters of recommendation from physicians who have served in a direct supervisory capacity
• One (1) letter of recommendation from a division head or department chair

Salary and Benefits

The University provides competitive salaries for fellows. In addition, the University provides health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, professional liability insurance, and retirement benefits for the fellows (and their family members when appropriate). Fellows receive 28 vacation days a year.

Contact Information

If you have any programmatic or administrative questions, please contact:

Chari Elijah
Fellowship Coordinator
Division of Geriatric, Hospice and Palliative Medicine
UC Davis Broadway Building Suite 2700
celijah@health.ucdavis.edu