I was born and raised in Jackson, WY and had originally planned for a career as a professional skier before an injury redirected my path towards medicine. I am currently a General Surgery resident completing the HPM Fellowship as my research and career development year. I have always held a special interest in patient-centered communication and shared decision making, however my interest in Palliative Care blossomed after the birth of my daughter which came with an unexpected NICU stay. It was profoundly humbling being on the receiving end of these interactions, and I immediately recognized the gap in my abilities in communication and symptom management as a provider. I ultimately hope to practice as both a General Surgeon and Palliative Care provider in a rural community in Wyoming or Montana.
Outside of the hospital, I love to spend time outside with my family and our cocker spaniel, watch bad reality tv (Below Deck is a current favorite) and try new recipes.
Scott grew up in Huntington Beach, California and studied physiology for his undergraduate education at UCLA. He later attended graduate school at Colorado State University to study exercise physiology and pursue an interest in endurance performance. After racing bicycles for a bit, he moved to the Northeast for medical school at the University of Vermont. It was here that he began a life with another UVM medical student who became his future wife. Scott completed his residency in anesthesiology at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, and then he and his family packed up and headed to the mountains, settling in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. After about ten years in practice as an anesthesiologist, he took a position as an associate professor and medical director of the Human Performance Clinical Research Lab at CSU in the Department of Health and Exercise Science. Grateful for this experience but missing clinical medicine, he transitioned to work as an anesthesiologist at a ketamine infusion clinic where he treated patients with severe and often debilitating depression or suicidality. The enormous gratification of connecting with patients and helping alleviate intense suffering sparked his desire to practice hospice and palliative medicine. He has greatly appreciated every chapter of his career and is thankful for the opportunity to pursue this next path. He looks forward to the immense amount of learning he will do this year.
Scott is supported by an all-star family with his wife and two daughters and two dogs. He enjoys being outside and cycling, playing tennis and soccer, and Nordic skiing. He wishes that as adults we could still have recess every day.
Dr. Schear is a pediatrician completing her training in hospice and palliative medicine. She cares deeply about providing symptom relief and whole-person support for children experiencing serious illness and their families. She completed her pediatric residency at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC and medical school at the UC Berkeley – UC San Francisco Joint Medical Program.
Dr. Schear is passionate about offering equitable, culturally sensitive care to patients of diverse backgrounds. This passion grew as she completed her B.A. in Anthropology at Amherst College, pursued a Fulbright-Nehru fellowship in India, and worked in community mental health services in rural Alabama before medical school. Dr. Schear has studied barriers and strategies for palliative care service expansion in India and serves as the Chair of the pediatric sub-committee for Pallium India, Inc.
After witnessing the impact of wildfires and air pollution in California and Utah, Dr. Schear also works to organize health professionals to protect our environment. She is a Climate Advocate with the Utah Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves on the executive board of Medical Students for a Sustainable Future. She was named a 2024 Emerging Physician Leader by Health Care Without Harm and the Association of American Medical Colleges for her work on climate change and medical education.
Outside of work, she loves to hike throughout Utah with her husband and their elder dog, Stella.
Hannah trained in emergency medicine at the University of New Mexico and subsequently moved to Ashland, OR where she practiced as an EM attending at a community hospital for 4 years before coming to her senses and deciding to go back for a hospice & palliative care fellowship. EM and HPM have a lot amount of overlap, and she is excited to take a step forward and provide more intentional care for patients and their families. She is interested in the possibility of being an embedded palliative physician in the emergency department to help the vast unmet palliative and hospice needs of the ED patient population.
She has dragged her better half Jake and their 2 dogs now on 3 cross-country moves, and she promises it will be their last but he knows that those chances are slim when there are so many cool mountainous places to explore. When she’s not working, she’s probably somewhere hiking or running in the wilderness with her dog Zuni, making ultralight sleeping bags for dogs, or attempting to convince her husband to go on a type-2 fun adventure.