Rodney O. Tucker, M.D., associate professor of medicine, has been appointed interim director of the Center for Palliative and Supportive Care and of the Palliative and Supportive Care Section in the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care. The appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2012.
UAB’s palliative care faculty provide inpatient and outpatient palliative and supportive care programs at UAB, the Birmingham VA Medical Center and at Children’s of Alabama. UAB is one of eight palliative care leadership centers in the nation.
Tucker obtained both his undergraduate degree and his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He joined UAB’s faculty in 2002 as medical director of the UAB inpatient palliative care program. He was appointed the associate quality officer for the patient experience for the UAB Health System in 2011.
Tucker is board certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative medicine, and his interests include palliative care in chronic illnesses such as heart failure and HIV. He also is interested in the delivery of health care and the systems involved in providing comprehensive palliative care across settings.