As a physician I have seen firsthand that our medical system currently fails to provide compassionate, reasonable care at the end-of-life. Doctors are not trained to address death and dying issues and question whether or not it is their "job" to manage the dying of patients when they are also expected to work tirelessly to help "save lives."

Patients are ambivalent about these discussions too and may send mixed messages to their families and care providers because they have never before thought about their own dying process. Consequently, far too much of the healthcare dollar in the U.S. is spent on futile care that does not add to quality of life, but may well prolong suffering.

There is a desperate need for education in our society about all aspects of the end-of-life, from the importance of advance directives, to care options for the dying, funeral and burial alternatives, and grief and bereavement assistance for loved ones. The goal of End-of-Life University is to provide multiple access points for educational resources about death and dying that can reach all interested members of our society--from lay people to professionals, youth to elders--through interviews, articles, podcasts, videos, and teleseminars.

In addition, EOLU serves as an information hub where providers in one discipline of care can connect with other workers in their own field or learn about current practices in other areas of end-of-life care. The entire movement grows stronger when we can network and build bonds between us. Listen to this sampling of some of the experts interviewed on EOLU: