Peter Stillwell, MD

Why I chose to pursue a career in healthcare:

I took care of my dad while he was dying of pancreatic cancer. I was studying biology and psychology at UCSB when he died in my arms. Crying, I listened to the last beats of his heart with my ear pressed to his chest. He was a great and loving dad and yet cancer is indiscriminate in its attack on people. I realized I wanted to honor him and diminish pain and suffering in a world so tragically full of it. Medicine felt like the best, most noble pathway to that goal.