New faculty spotlight: Jayme Hoch, DO

Jayme Hoch, DO, is a new faculty member at UNMC.

Name: Jayme Hoch, DO

Hometown: Oakland, Iowa

Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, UNMC Division of Geriatrics/Palliative Medicine

Professional interests:

• Advanced communication with patients and their families
• Medical education
• Primary palliative care support and education

How I fell in love with medicine and palliative care:

I fell in love with medicine while working as a CNA at an extended care facility in rural Iowa. Having the opportunity to build trust and strong relationships with my patients and their families was one of the key motivations for my career in medicine. During this time, I also had the privilege of being involved in several meaningful end of life experiences, which initially sparked my interest in geriatrics as well as hospice and palliative care.  These initial experiences continue to motivate me when I reflect on my "why" in medicine.

Education:

• BS, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
• DO, Des Moines University, Des Moines, Iowa
• Residency, family medicine, Mayo Clinic, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• Fellowship, hospice and palliative medicine, University of Minnesota

Memberships:

• American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
• American Academy of Family Physicians

Three things people may not know about me:

• I have run 10-plus half marathons (and one full marathon) with my favorite running partner, my mom!
• I grew up on a farm in rural Iowa and showed cattle and dogs in 4-H and FFA.
• A career goal/dream is to train a therapy dog to provide support during palliative care visits in the hospital.