Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivan Zama.
Hi Ivan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I moved to Maryland in December 2009 from Cleveland OH as the new hospice medical director for Capital Caring in Prince George’s County. However I noticed that the Palliative Medicine needs of the residents of Prince George’s County weren’t met. I saw patients in hospice often late in their health journey, I brought up the idea of having a palliative medicine option in the hospitals, however management didn’t heed my advice and so in November 2011 I decided to start my own private practice of palliative medicine in the county initially covering three hospitals Doctors Community Hospital, Laurel Regional Hospital and Prince George’s Hospital Center.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was challenging at the outset to get physicians and nurses to understand the importance of palliative medicine and the benefits as well as the difference between hospice and palliative medicine. Everyone equated palliative medicine to hospice, some people called me the grim reaper. Initially it was very frustrating to me, but once I had the buy in from leadership and physicians started seeing the benefits and difference that it made in the care of their patients it gave me all the energy I needed to keep working.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My name is Ivan N. Zama, MD, FAAHPM, and I am the founder of Compassionate Specialty Clinic in Greenbelt, Maryland. I am proud to have been the first palliative medicine specialist in Prince George’s County, launching my practice in 2011 and bringing expert, compassionate care to patients across Doctors Community Hospital, Laurel Regional Hospital, and Prince George’s Hospital Center at a time when that level of specialized support simply didn’t exist locally.
What I Do?
I specialize in palliative medicine — a field focused on relieving the symptoms, stress, and suffering that come with serious illness. Unlike hospice, palliative care can be provided at any stage of illness, alongside curative treatment, and for patients of any age. The goal is always the same: to improve quality of life for both the patient and their family.
What Sets Me Apart?
My training is rooted in exceptional depth. I completed dual fellowships at the Cleveland Clinic — one in hospice and palliative medicine and one in experimental therapeutics in medical oncology — giving me a uniquely comprehensive understanding of serious illness from multiple clinical perspectives. In 2020, I earned the Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (FAAHPM) designation, one of the highest honors in my specialty.
But what truly sets Compassionate Specialty Clinic apart is something harder to credential: the culture of care I have worked to build. This is a practice where patients and families navigating some of life’s most difficult moments are met with genuine compassion, personalized attention, that goes beyond medical expertise to provide real human support.
How I’ve Grown?
In 2021, I expanded beyond the hospital setting by opening an outpatient clinic in Greenbelt — making palliative care more accessible to the community outside of the hospital environment. Now, I am pioneering once again, exploring the integration of palliative medicine with lifestyle medicine. This forward-thinking approach recognizes that nutrition, movement, stress management, and overall wellness play a powerful role in the lives of patients with serious illness — and that truly holistic care must address the root causes of chronic disease.
What I’m Most Proud Of?
I started as the only palliative medicine practitioner in Prince George’s County. That the specialty has grown here since then is something I take great pride in — it reflects a broader recognition of what I always believed: that every seriously ill patient in this community deserves access to specialized, compassionate care. From a single physician covering three hospitals to a point where now we have multiple providers covering all the hospitals and some nursing homes have access to palliative medicine.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in the North West Province of Cameroon. I wanted to be an engineer, but switched to medicine which led me to medical school in Italy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://compassionate-clinic.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivan-zama-0b486413
