Spencer Menapace is originally from rural northeastern Pennsylvania and went on to pursue a B.S. in Biology and subsequently his doctorate at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. During Family Practice residency he discovered his passions for community health, medical ethics, and care of the seriously ill and dying as a natural extension of the holistic philosophy underpinning the practice of primary care, leading him to pursue fellowship training in Palliative Care at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center. He went on to accept a position as an assistant professor and further explored the role of clinician-educator in the medical humanities for the medical school. His ongoing experiences with patients and families of heterogenous backgrounds and consistent exposures to structural challenges of modern medicine connected him with earlier experiences as a resident physician caring for disparately resourced communities in Philadelphia and kindled an expanding interest in equity and justice in the practice of medicine. He is very activated and enthused to be engaging in the HEAL fellowship to cultivate a keener understanding of primary and palliative care in diverse contexts and hopes to be of service in growing structures to provide care for the vulnerable. Outside of medicine, Spencer has enjoyed learning about music theory, synthesizers, language, film photography, poetry, and cinema. He enjoys hiking, back-country camping, board games and travel.