John Lerma, MD John Lerma, MD, author of Into The Light is widely known for his compassionate and loving care of hundreds of terminally-ill patients as well as his tenure as the inpatient medical director for the internationally renowned Medical Center Hospice of Houston, Texas. He currently serves as a consultant for several hospices and palliative units in Houston and San Antonio, Texas.
Board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Dr. Lerma is widely recognized for his compassionate care of terminally-ill patients and research in the field of end of life care. While working at the Medical Center in Houston, he was involved with teaching hospice and palliative medicine to medical students, residents, geriatric, oncology and palliative fellows from several institutions including but not limited to, Baylor College of Medicine, The University of Texas Medical School, and MD Anderson Cancer Institute. Among the topics he teaches include: The doctor, spirituality, and death, Pain management in the terminally ill, Palliative nursing, and Pharmacology and deathbed hallucinations versus visions. As an international speaker, Dr. Lerma is recognized for his signature lecture, Pre-death Experiences: A hospice physician’s perspective on spirituality and the terminally ill. He is a frequent guest on local, national, and international media. Dr. Lerma is creating a non-profit company titled Hearts without Borders, which will take the hospice concept to underserved areas in South America. His organization's current project is to organize a hospice team and travel to several Mexican and South American cities, and aid governments and physicians in giving birth to the wonderful gift of hospice. |
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Since the inpatient unit is located in the heart of the largest medical center in the world, he worked closely with MD Anderson hospital, the leading cancer institute in the world in research and teaching. After obtaining a degree in pharmacy at The University of Texas at Austin, he entered medical school at the University of Texas San Antonio and years later finished his training in Internal Medicine. Over the last ten years he has focused his career in the field of hospice and palliative medicine.