
The Council

Leadership
The SPCS’s leadership structure is modeled after the interdisciplinary palliative care team and is inspired by swarm intelligence principles. Notably, we have no president or other hierarchy within our Council. We aim to utilize our diverse viewpoints, individual skill sets and passions to solve problems by pooling our knowledge and processing our ideas through social interactions. Much like what happens within a colony of honey bees, this process far exceeds the efficiency and problem-solving ability of a more-typical hierarchical structure and allows all of us to benefit from a more creative, collaborative fellowship.
The Chairman of Cornell’s Entomology Department, Dr. Tom Seeley, has analyzed the collective decision-making by honey bee colonies for decades, and his analysis indicates that a group will possess a high level of swarm intelligence if among the group’s members there is:
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A diversity of knowledge about the available options
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An open and honest sharing of information about the options
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Independence in the members’ evaluations of the options
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Unbiased aggregation of the members’ opinions on the options
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Leadership that fosters, but does not dominate the discussion
To learn more about how the Society functions, please review the Constitution and Bylaws.
Councilors

BUDDY MARTERRE MD, MDiv
SPCS Founder, Councilor

T. JOHELEN CARLETON MD
Councilor

RED HOFFMAN MD, ND
SPCS Founder, Councilor

RICKY SHINALL MD
Councilor

PRINGL MILLER MD
SPCS Founder, Councilor

PASITHORN SUVANABOL MD
Councilor
Committee Chairs
Laurel Berry MD
Lee Ann Lau MD
Katherine Pellizzeri MD
Tandis Soltani MD
Michael Sigman MD
Joshua Sommovilla
Elizabeth Lilley MD
Erin Strong MD
Sherry Cavanaugh MD
Audrey Spencer MD
Contact us for more information about membership and leadership opportunities.