Dr. Porter-Williamson is a Professor and Division Director of Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is also the Medical Director for Palliative Care Services at the University of Kansas Health System. Dr. Porter-Williamson grew up in Topeka, KS, attended the University of Kansas for her undergraduate degree in Biology, French and Psychology. She completed Medical School and Internal Medicine residency training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2002, then completed fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 2003 at San Diego Hospice. After training, she returned to the University of Kansas, where she has been on faculty for the past 23 years.

Dr. Porter-Williamson’s academic interests include building systems for patient-centered, goal concordant plans of care, improving the value of medical care for patients and families facing serious illness, and integrating the principles of Palliative Medicine as the standard of care for all seriously ill patients and families. Dr. Porter-Williamson’s educational focus is on the training of medical professionals and inter-professional teams across the continuum of care to understand these principles and integrate them into their practice, with specific attention to communication skills necessary for goals of care discussions and serious illness care planning.