Honoring the Life and Legacy of Dr. C. Porter Storey Jr.

Dr. Storey’s gifts live on in the hearts of the colleagues he worked with, taught, and inspired—and the enduring strength of the Academy and new specialty he helped build. Dr. Storey’s contributions were foundational. He authored and edited many of the most formative texts in hospice and palliative medicine, including the first six editions of the Primer of Palliative Care and the first four editions of the nine-volume UNIPAC series—now titled Essential Practices for Hospice and Palliative Care. His scholarship extended across book chapters, journal articles, editorials, and monographs that helped define and disseminate the field’s core principles. In recognition of his work, he received the AAHPM Lifetime Achievement Award to a standing ovation at the 2017 Annual Assembly.

Just as important as what he wrote is what he said—and how his words continue to guide us.

In a 2015 interview reflecting on his 11-year tenure as Executive Vice President, Dr. Storey captured the essence of our mission with characteristic clarity and conviction:

“We really don’t want people to spend their final months in misery. We know it can be much better than that, and we’re just not going to take no for an answer.”

That spirit of determined advocacy helped establish hospice and palliative medicine as a legitimate and essential field. Dr. Storey understood, however, that the leadership styles that so effectively sparked the movement are not alone sufficient to sustain and grow it. He spoke candidly about that evolution:

“Be careful what you wish for. We have always wanted to be a part of organized medicine—and now we are… and that’s very challenging. The field really needed pioneers who were of the ‘don’t take no for an answer,’ dogged, bull-headed type… to get going. But now, we really need both strength and purpose, and also the ability to collaborate… it’s being able to be both an advocate for our patients and at the same time… see the world through others’ lenses. As the field evolves, the leaders are evolving to meet the changing needs. That will involve more collaboration and less confrontation… and I really see a lot of forward movement in that regard.”

This is the space we now inhabit. Hospice and palliative medicine has earned a seat at the table where we work in coalition with partners Dr. Storey may not have imagined, including payers, regulators, healthcare systems, and organizations across a broad range of medical specialties and healthcare professions. We are navigating a rapidly changing healthcare landscape shaped by innovations such as artificial intelligence and virtual care, tools that must complement, never replace, the deeply human work of caring for people with serious illness.

And yet, as Dr. Storey anticipated, the work is far from finished.

Despite our progress integrating with health systems and organized medicine, the philosophy of palliative care is not yet reliably embedded in everyday practice.  Even today, hospice and palliative care professionals must raise essential questions in discussions: Are we doing what’s right for the patient? and increasingly, what’s right for the people caring for the patient? We continue to push back against policies and practices that are dehumanizing for both patients and health professionals.

The hospice benefit itself has changed little since its introduction in 1983, even as the delivery of hospice care has evolved dramatically. Increasing corporatization has, at times, pulled hospice away from its person-centered roots. It is now our responsibility, as professionals and leaders, to carry forward Dr. Storey’s passion: to advocate for whole person care delivered by an interdisciplinary team that honors the human experience of suffering while remaining sustainable within the healthcare system.

That advocacy takes many forms. It requires both long-term, strategic effort and rapid, coordinated response to urgent threats. Dr. Storey demonstrated the latter in 2009, when the FDA announced the immediate removal of morphine concentrate and other essential symptom-management medications from the market. He worked with leaders across the field to mobilize an effective response that preserved access. It is hard to imagine how devastating the loss of those medications would have been for patients and families. And while that battle was won, similar threats to equitable access to pain and symptom relief persist.

Perhaps Dr. Storey’s greatest legacy, however, lies not in policy or publications, but in his unwavering commitment to personhood. Colleagues consistently call out how he centered the individual in every interaction. David Wensel DO, HMDC, FAAHPM, recipient of the AAHPM Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award in 2026, cherished Dr. Storey as a mentor and friend and reflected:

“Porter put me at ease and made me feel like I was the most important person he could be talking with… He always started with the question, ‘How are you doing?’—and he truly wanted to know.”

Long before “wellness” became a common term, Dr. Storey modeled it. His life was grounded in the understanding that how we live shapes how we care for others. He was a passionate hiker, cyclist, and conservationist. His devotion to the outdoors is brilliantly portrayed in his wife, Gail Storey’s memoir, I Promise Not to Suffer. Ira Byock MD, FAAHPM, past president of the Academy, shared an anecdote that illustrates just how committed he was. To his invitation to present at a symposium, Dr. Storey responded: “Keeping our carbon footprint low is important too. MapQuest says it is only 1938 miles. So, to ride our tandem out there at 50 miles/day, it will take 39 days, with a rest day or two. It means we should leave October 11.” Dr. Byock offered him all the granola bars and bicycle tires that he might need.  Although he ultimately decided to fly, he seriously considered the cross-country bike trek!

As we reflect on Dr. Storey’s extraordinary life and legacy, we are reminded that leadership in hospice and palliative medicine is not only about advancing a field; it’s about embodying its values. Dr. Wensel believes he would tell us:

“Get outside and spend time in nature. It will make you a better person, which will make you a better hospice and palliative medicine physician.”

As those who have followed him, we carry forward both his vision and his challenge: to remain steadfast advocates, thoughtful collaborators, and, above all, deeply human clinicians and leaders. “In carrying forward Dr. Storey’s legacy, we are also called to ensure that hospice and palliative care are accessible, equitable, and responsive to the diverse communities we serve.”

If you were inspired by Dr. Storey and his mission, please consider honoring his memory by supporting the continued work of the Academy and the field he helped build.

Meet the Authors