Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician, Writer, Podcaster and Magic Wand Bearer, Dawn Gross, MD. Ph.D., (aka Dr. AsYouWish) pioneers revolutionary palliative medicine as the art of patient care, scientific curiosity and storytelling. Dr. AsYouWish, carries three layers of meaning: as YOU wish, as in my desire to be respectful; as you Wish, as in my desire to be of service/to make wishes come true; and ultimately, as explained in the film, “The Princess Bride”, As You Wish, means, I Love You. This is how Dawn wishes every person feels when they come in contact with her.

Uniquely qualified to lead a cultural revolution on end of life care, Dawn holds a combined MD and PhD from Tufts University School of Medicine where she was trained rigorously as both physician and scientist. She completed her fellowship training at Stanford University in Hematology with an emphasis in Bone Marrow Transplant. Her postdoctoral work explored the role of regulatory T cells in cancer under the guidance of Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone at UCSF.

Dawn transitioned to the practice of Hospice & Palliative Medicine after her father died in 2006. She was named Bay Area physician of the year multiple years in a row at VITAS hospice before leaving to work on the Palliative Care team at UCSF. She was subsequently recruited away to become the Arthur M. Coppola Family Chair of the Department of Supportive Care Medicine and Clinical Professor of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the City of Hope National Medical Center. When Dawn chose to return to UCSF, she created the first of its kind live, call-in radio program, Dying To Talk, broadcast on the oldest FM station west of the Mississippi, KALW 91.7 FM and became the Medical Director of ANX Hospice . 

As an internationally invited speaker and consultant, Dawn seeks to empower each of us to find our own voice so we can advocate for what is essential in our own lives as well as on behalf of those we love. Her research explores the impact of a novel tool she has developed to support oncology nurses and the patients and families they care for in discovering what matters most. Her writing has been published widely including in The New York Times, JAMA, Science and Annals of Internal Medicine. Instead of being seen as the grim reaper, Dawn thinks of herself as a fairy godmother making final wishes come true. When she asks patients what would they do with a magic wand, their answers are never “just give me more time.” She captures their true stories in her 2024 TEDx talk and new book, Heart Sounds.