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.  He has led subspecialty training for over 120 Palliative Care physicians.   Dr. Buckholz currently serves as Director of Affiliate Faculty for UCSD’s T. Denny Sanford Center for Compassionate Communication and is Co-Director for the Center’s interprofessional faculty fellowship.   

 Early in his career, he never thought of himself as a teacher but through strong mentorship has grown to love teaching communication skills especially after witnessing the ripple effects it can create. Dr. Buckholz is a past recipient of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Gerald H. Holman Distinguished Service Award , the Cal State San Marcos Doris Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care, and was identified as a Visionary in Hospice and Palliative Care by AAHPM in 2024. He enjoys spending time with his family and mountain biking through Los Peñasquitos Canyon trails in San Diego.