Timothy Edward Quill, M.D.

Viewing information for Patients. See information for Researchers.

Timothy E. Quill, M.D. is a Professor of Medicine, Psychiatry, and Medical Humanities at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He is also the Director of the Center for Ethics, Humanities and Palliative Care and a Board certified palliative care consultant in Rochester, New York.

Dr. Quill has published and lectured widely about various aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, with special focus on end-of-life decision making, including delivering bad news, nonabandonment, discussing palliative care earlier, and exploring last-resort options. He is the author of several books on end-of life, including Physician-Assisted Dying: The Case for Palliative Care and Patient Choice (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004), Caring for Patients at the End of Life: Facing an Uncertain Future Together (Oxford University Press, 2001), and A Midwife Through the Dying Process: Stories of Healing and Hard Choices at the End of Life (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), and numerous articles published in major medical journals including "Death and Dignity: A Case of Individualized Decision Making" published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Dr. Quill was the lead physician plaintiff in the New York State legal case challenging the law prohibiting physician-assisted death that was heard in 1997 by the U.S. Supreme Court (Quill v. Vacco).

Dr. Quill received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College (1971), and his M.D. from the University of Rochester (1976). He completed his Internal Medicine residency in 1979 and a Fellowship in Medicine/Psychiatry Liaison in 1981, both from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. Dr. Quill is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians, an ABMS certified Palliative Care consultant, a board member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and a founding board member of American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Current Appointments

• Professor - Department of Medicine (SMD)
• Professor - Department of Nursing (SON)
• Professor - Department of Medical Humanities (SMD)
• Professor - Department of Psychiatry (SMD)

Education
MD Medicine	Univ Rochester Sch Med/Dent	1976
BA Psychology	Amherst College	1971

Awards and Honors
Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award | The Gold Foundation	2005
Alvin P. Shapiro Award | American Psychosomatic Society	2004
Lynn Payer Award | American Academy on Physician and Patient	2004
William C. Menninger Memorial Award of Distinguished Contributions to the Science of Mental Health | ACP-ASIM	2003
AAMC Humanism in Medicine Award nominee | AAMC	2001
NBI Healthcare Foundation Humanism Award in Medicine | NBI	2000
NBI Healthcare Foundation Humanism Award in Medicine | NBI	1999
The Frederick W. Anderson Teaching Award | The Genesee Hospital	1998
American Medical Writers Association Medical Book Award for A Midwife Through the Dying Process | American Medical Writers Association	1997
The Frederick W. Anderson Teaching Award | The Genesee Hospital	1984
Clinical Faculty Teaching Award | University of Rochester Associated Hospitals Program	1982
Benjamin Rush Prize | The University of Rochester	1976
Medical School Graduation Speaker | University of Rochester Medical School Class	1976