Empowering the Future Leaders of Hospice Medicine
As a pioneer and national leader in hospice and palliative medicine, VITAS® Healthcare is committed to educating the next generation of physicians and advancing the future of the specialty.
Founded in 1978, VITAS has helped shape advances in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Miami (UM) Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
From establishing and operating an inpatient unit at UHealth Tower to providing funding and strategic vision, VITAS has been a driving force behind the UM/Jackson Health System Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellowship program.
In 2025, VITAS continued its support with the establishment of the Geriatric Fellowship Fund, which will provide post-graduate training for fellows in the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and improve access to care.
About the Program
The UM/Jackson Hospice and Palliative Medicine program was created in 2014 to address a shortage of palliative care physicians. Since then, it has become a hallmark training program in South Florida and one of only six combined geriatrics/palliative medicine fellowship programs in the country.
Each year, five fellows are selected to participate and assigned a faculty mentor to guide professional development. Fellows round with VITAS physicians who are ACGME faculty and gain experience in all care settings, including hospital inpatient, outpatient/community home visits, and long-term care.
Drawing on VITAS Healthcare’s 45 years of experience, faculty lead weekly didactic sessions and clinical patient care rounds, mentoring and sharing knowledge and skills cultivated through their own expertise in hospice and palliative care.
VITAS Leadership

Paul Pugliese, MD
Voluntary Associate Professor, Clinical Medicine
Medical Director, VITAS Healthcare, Miami-Dade County

Ileana Leyva, MD
Voluntary Associate Professor, ACGME Faculty and Mentor
Regional Medical Director, VITAS Healthcare, Miami-Dade County
VITAS Welcomes UM/Jackson Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows
The following UM/Jackson Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship graduates joined VITAS in leadership roles, a testament to our commitment to advance end-of-life care as an opportunity-rich career path and medical specialty.

Orly R. Hadar, MD
Dr. Hadar received her medical degree from Chicago Medical School in Chicago, Illinois, and completed an internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Florida.

Valerie Hart Quezada, MD
Dr. Quezeda received her medical degree from the Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (Intec) in the Dominican Republic and completed an internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut in Hartford, Connecticut.

Kamal Wahab, MD
Dr. Wahab received his medical degree from the University of Balamand Faculty of Medicine and Medical Sciences in Lebanon and completed a family medicine residency at the American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon.

Angelica G. Torres-Morales, MD
Dr. Torres-Morales received her medical degree from the Universidad Panamericana in Mexico City, Mexico, and completed an internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida.