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Nancy Long, MD is the medical director of The University of Vermont Health Network Home Health & Hospice. She is also a physician at the University of Vermont Medical Center and an associate professor at the Larner College of Medicine.She manages a variety of conditions including pain and non-pain symptom management and existential distress in the dying. Her research interests include grief and bereavement support and advanced communication skills.Dr. Long finds it rewarding to bear witness to the love, gratitude and forgiveness that often arise in the sacred spaces entered when caring for the dying. She appreciates the opportunity to work with a team of skilled and caring professionals to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those with serious, life-limiting illness, as well as those who love and care for them. She believes that each person and family deserve to be cared for with compassion and respect for what matters most to them, in the place they wish to be in the final chapter of life.Dr. Longs proudest professional achievements include her roles in the creation of a five-bed hospice home on the island of Maui, and in the education of hospice and palliative care nurses and other team members, helping them to connect with their hearts and appreciate the gifts of their work along with their own strength and resilience.Learn more about palliative care at the UVM Medical Center.