During fall 2025, the Dr. George E. Schreiner ’43 Pre-Medical Center offered our second mercy doula (end-of-life doula) service-learning course.
Pre-Med and Pre-Health (pre-PA, pre-Nursing, pre-Vet) students, alongside Canisius Physician Assistant students, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences medical students, and a Canisius professor, trained as mercy doulas.
Trainers included fellow Griff and palliative care physician, Dr. Katie Grimm, a palliative care nurse, and a social worker.
Our undergraduate students then volunteered at the Sloan Comfort Care Home, a local non-profit that provides a homelike environment for those who do not have the financial or family support to die at home. Griffs served as mercy doulas, accompanying guests during the last journey of their lives. Several of the medical students in the training are assigned to Sloan Home as part of the medical school’s new community-based curriculum.
After hearing our pre-health students’ final course reflections on their experiences volunteering with the guests at Sloan Home, one of the founders of Sloan shared, “If anyone worries about the future of healthcare, they should meet these eloquent and thoughtful pre-health students. Their reflections were poignant—as well as very helpful for planning future training.”
We are grateful to our mercy doula trainers and the staff and volunteers at Sloan for being such great teachers and mentors for our students.
