Vyjeyanthi S. Periyakoil, MD FAGS FAAHPM
AAHPM reached out to the 2024 Visionaries to gain insight into what motivated them to pursue leadership positions and what they find more fulfilling in their experiences. Vyjeyanthi S. Periyakoil, MD FAGS FAAHPM has been recognized as one of the exceptional individuals chosen as a 2024 AAHPM Visionaries in Hospice and Palliative Care.
Who has most influenced your work and how have they shaped your contributions?
My father, Dr. Sowmyamoorthy, has had the greatest influence on my work. Born in rural India, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and put himself through medical school while facing tremendous adversity. After graduating, he chose to serve the underserved population in South India. As his clinic was also our home, I was raised by a “village of patients”. I have vivid memories, even as a toddler, watching my dad taking care of his patients with great skill and incredible compassion. Though he retired a few years ago, his patients and their families still visit him at home to get his advice and sometimes just to see him. I aspire one day to become the doctor he is today. I am deeply grateful to all my teachers who have shaped my thinking and supported my learning. I specifically want to recognize the members of the interprofessional team who have been my primary teachers. Our social workers taught me how to conduct family meetings while blending skill and compassion. Our nurses taught me how to be present at the bedside of the patient and how to listen deeply and actively. My patients have helped me for years to chisel my thinking. Finally, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the training my fellows have provided me to become a better teacher.
What is the significance to you of being recognized as a “Visionary” in Hospice and Palliative Medicine?
To know that I am a meaningful part of our field of hospice and palliative care means the world to me. I also feel that I need to keep working to become even more deserving of this incredible and humbling honor.
What is your aspiration for the evolution of hospice and Palliative Medicine?
We have secured a seat at the center table of healthcare, and we are well past the stage of justifying our existence as a field. Early in my career, I often found myself waiting for someone to “anoint me” and give me the position and power to bring about change. It eventually dawned upon me that no one was going to “anoint” me. I also came to realize (slowly) that you need neither a title nor any bestowed power to do meaningful work. We do need resources and organizational support, but the truth is that those often come later. And, if I had waited for formal endorsement to begin, the odds are I would still be waiting. I want everyone in our field to realize that they are a pioneer. We cannot wait for a “chosen few” or seek permission to advance our field. I encourage each of you to take your first step at this very moment toward building your vision of palliative care. We cannot stop until every seriously ill human, irrespective of age, gender, skin color, and socioeconomic status, has seamless access to evidence-based palliative and hospice care. In case you are reading this, and you are waiting to be anointed, consider it done. The ball is now in your court.
Learn more about the AAHPM 2024 Visionaries in Hospice and Palliative Care and view a full list of all current and past Visionaries.