In Memoriam
Andy Billings was a pioneer in palliative care in so many ways, and one of his greatest contributions was as a founder and co-director of Palliative Care Education and Practice (PCEP). Andy passed away on September 6, 2015, which was a profound loss for his family and his many friends within and outside of the palliative care community. The J. Andrew Billings Fund was created to support scholarships to PCEP for candidates from developing countries. This is a topic about which Andy felt passionately and to set aside monies for this purpose is a fitting tribute to his memory and dedication to the field.
J. Andrew Billings, MD
Former Director, Palliative Care Service, Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Investigator, Serious Illness Care Program, Ariadne Labs
Co-Director, Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
| 1967 | BA, Amherst College |
| 1972 | MD, Harvard Medical School (HMS) |
| 1972-1973 | Straight Medical Intern, San Francisco General Hospital |
| 1973-75 | Medical Resident and Elective Fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine, University of California, San Francisco Hospitals |
| 1975-1977 | Fellow in Adult Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Boston |
| 1975-1995 | Staff Physician, MGH Chelsea Memorial Health Center |
| 1977-2010 | Staff Physician, MGH |
| 1995-2010 | Director, Palliative Care Service, MGH |
| 1999-2015 | Co-Director, HMS Center for Palliative Care |
J. Andrew Billings, MD, began practicing medicine as a primary care physician at a neighborhood health center and at MGH. His special interests were in psychosocial aspects of medicine and in teaching the clinical interview. He soon started a home care program, which led him to hospice at the local and national level.
In 1995, Dr. Billings started the Palliative Care Service at MGH. His teachings focused on end-of-life care and especially on communication issues.
After piloting a series of Palliative Care Role Model programs under an NIH grant, he and Dr. Block created the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care with the sponsorship of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Center now sponsors an annual faculty development course, Palliative Care Education and Practice; and two annual review courses, Practical Aspects of Palliative Care and Palliative Care for Hospitalists and Intensivists, and initiated the Serious Illness Communication course in June 2015.
Special projects at MGH included integrating palliative care with intensive care and early integration of palliative care into treatment of advanced lung cancer.