Dr. Buckholz has worked as a Hospice and Palliative Care physician since 2003 and is now a Clinical Professor at UC San Diego (UCSD). He received his MD from the University of Kansas and completed his Family Medicine residency at Brown University. He completed fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Care at the Institute for Palliative Medicine in San Diego. He has served on several AAHPM committees focusing on workforce and education. Dr. Buckholz currently serves as Co-Director for the UCS and Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. He has assisted in training over 120 Palliative Care physicians and routinely teaches other primary and subspecialty clinicians. He values showing compassion and communicating in ways that improve patients’ experiences.

Early in his career, he never thought of himself as a teacher but has grown to love teaching communication skills after witnessing the ripple effects it can create. He continues to learn as a Faculty Fellow in the Center for Compassionate Communication within the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion. Dr. Buckholz is a past recipient of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Gerald H. Holman Distinguished Service Award as well as the Cal State San Marcos Doris Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care. He enjoys spending time with his family and mountain biking through Los Peñasquitos Canyon trails.