Palliative Care Physician Dr. BJ Miller to Speak at Eccles, Jan. 9

In Dr. BJ Miller's TED Talk he left his audience with the following challenge: "Let death be what takes us, not lack of imagination." The palliative care physician and an executive with San Francisco's Zen Hospice Project proposes rethinking and redesigning how we die; creating a dignified system that allows life to play out as a "crescendo." He speaks at The Eccles Center on January 16. The Evening with Dr. BJ Miller begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 435-655-3114 or online at EcclesCenter.org.

"Dr. Miller's work is as much about life as it is about death," says PCI executive director Teri Orr. "This isn't doom and gloom. This evening is about inspiring thought and conversation as we consider the possibilities of compassionate, person-centered - rather than disease-centered - end-of-life care."

A triple-amputee, Dr. Miller knows suffering on both a personal and professional level. As a Princeton undergraduate, a high-voltage, electrical shock almost cost him his life; he ended up losing both legs below the knee and half of one arm. His brush with death gave him new perspective as he concluded his art history studies and took the path to non-traditional career in palliative care - he also co-founded a tea company and bought a farm in Boulder, Utah along the way.

After Princeton, he earned his MD from University of California San Francisco and completed a fellowship in Hospice & Palliative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Since 2010, he has served as an executive with Zen Hospice Project, which takes a human-centered approach to end-of-life care. According to a Huffington Post article, "The hope [at ZHP] is that patients will be able to live more meaningfully even as they near death. Residents -- who generally have less than six months to live -- cook, play music, paint, and take part in other activities not generally part of the treatment plan in traditional hospitals."

Miller's passion for his work, quick wit and in-depth experience help to shape dialogue about the emotionally charged topic of death. His expertise comes from ZHP as well as work with international design firm IDEO, participation in healthcare policy initiatives (such as San Francisco's Palliative Care Task Force) as well as his experience as assistant clinical professor of medicine at UCSF and attending specialist for Palliative Care Service at UCSF Medical Center and the Symptom Management Service of the UCSF Helen Diller Comprehensive Cancer Center (an outpatient palliative care clinic).

TICKETS AND INFORMATION

Park City Institute presents An Evening with Dr. BJ Miller on January 16, 2016 at The George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Center for the Performing Arts (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City). Tickets range from $25-$75 (20-percent discount for seniors, ½ price tickets for children ages 16 and under; $5 seats are available in the Copper Section for Summit County students (K-12). Tickets and information are available at The Eccles Center box office, 435-655-3114 or EcclesCenter.org.

* PRESS: Please contact Jane Gendron for interview requests, review tickets and press information, jgendron@jgendron.com or 435-640-3315.

Upcoming Park City Institute Events:

Backstage with the Creators of "Invisible Thread" (Jan. 9, 2016)

An Evening with Dr. BJ Miller (Jan. 16, 2016)

PCI / SNS "Future In review" Speaker Series: Christopher Clark (Feb. 5, 2016)

Reinventing Radio: Ira Glass (Feb. 6, 2016)

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (Feb. 13, 2016)

Railroad Earth (Feb. 20, 2016)

Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company (Mar. 5, 2016)

Grupo Corpo (Mar. 19, 2016)

PCI / SNS "Future In review" Speaker Series: Leah Boyer (Mar. 25, 2016)

Spoken Word with Sarah Kay and Phil Kaye (Mar. 26, 2016)

Ruthie Foster (Apr. 2, 2016)

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Co. (Apr. 9, 2016)

Imagination Movers (Apr. 16, 2016)

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