ABOUT

Claritza Ríos, MD

I'm a physician who has spent my career where it matters most: in the emergency room, in the hospital, and at the bedside of people who are dying. What I care about most is that people stay in control, and are told the truth, all the way until the end.

I trained in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine in Brooklyn and later found my calling in Palliative Care. I ran a residency program for years, shaping how a generation of doctors care for patients. I was faculty at UCSF, and I've done the real, daily work of hospice, sitting with people and families through the hardest days.

MY PATH

I didn't start out certain about medical aid in dying. I was raised Catholic, came of age with the Kevorkian headlines, and I wanted to be sure we were caring for people's symptoms and existential distress first. What changed me was seeing, over and over, that some suffering can't be relieved and that access to this option was wildly unequal. I do this work so that a peaceful, chosen death isn't reserved for the wealthy and well-connected.

HOW I CAME TO THIS WORK

Read the longer story on the blog→

CREDENTIALS

• Triple board certified — emergency, internal & palliative medicine
• Former UCSF faculty • Hospice physician • Bilingual · English & Spanish

As your doctor I will hold the reality of illness with hope for you and your loved ones.

— Claritza