Date published: July 30, 2025
August Fellow Spotlight: Hunter Bolin, MD
In this month’s Fellow Spotlight, we feature Hunter Bolin, MD, a Palliative Care fellow at UMass Chan. We recently caught up with Dr. Bolin to learn more about his clinical and research interests, why he chose UMass Chan for his fellowship, and why San Francisco is his favorite place to travel!
Hometown?
Natick, MA
What are your clinical and research interests?
I am interested in goals of care conversations and assisting patients and families in receiving goal-directed treatments based on personal values and breaking through the taboo around hospice and end-of-life care.
Why did you choose UMass Chan for your fellowship?
I was an emergency medicine resident at UMass for the last three years and have lived in Massachusetts most of my life. I wanted to continue training in Central Mass to stay close to family and friends. The program itself was fantastic during the interview season; everyone I spoke to was genuinely happy to work at UMass!
Where is your favorite place to travel for vacation and why?
Last year, I went to San Francisco, CA, and visited Alcatraz, which has a large bird colony of cormorants. It was a mixture of perfect weather, great birding (as well as pelagic birding on the ocean), lovely vineyards, and neat shops on the pier. It was my first time on the West Coast and was an overall fantastic experience and a great opportunity to see new wildlife.
What is your go-to board game?
My friends love a board game called Arcs. It’s a competitive game of around four people set in space; each player takes on a special character with individual goals on top of the game's normal objectives. It is played over three days, building a narrative around your role, but if you fail, you receive a different role that usually becomes a galactic crisis that everyone has to team up against. This leads to emergent narratives that are different every time you play and makes losing fun since that player gets a new role.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I grew up reading the Brian Jacques Redwall series. It was my first time reading fantasy and exploring reading not for information but as entertainment. It was the first time I saw world-building with continuity between characters within a setting.
Favorite holiday?
I love Thanksgiving. It is a holiday centered on being with family and sharing a meal. It's one of the few holidays not centered on buying someone a gift. Sides are my favorite, especially sweet potato casserole and homemade macaroni and cheese.