Biography
Dr. Tim La graduated from Baylor College of Medicine Medical School. He completed his intern year in internal medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and went on to complete his Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation residency at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at UTHealth Houston and joined the faculty at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston in 2026.
He is interested in exploring patients’ subjective experiences of their illness to deliver empathetic, patient-oriented care. He tries to incorporate a humanities-based approach in his interactions with patients, learners, and other faculty/staff. His personal interests include chess, rock climbing, and writing.
Education
- Medical School
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Preliminary Residency
- Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Residency
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
- Fellowship
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Areas of Interest
Clinical Interests
- Palliative care delivery, especially inpatient and ambulatory consultation, symptom management, and goals-of-care communication.
- Telehealth and digital health innovation in palliative care, including virtual visits and AI-enabled care delivery.
- Quality improvement, patient safety, and quality measurement, especially goal-concordant care and serious illness communication.
- Education, mentorship, and humanities-based medicine, including teaching learners and using arts/music to strengthen empathy and communication
Publications
- La T, Lam L, Maduka C, Hernandez-Jimenez I. Suspected Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein Antibody Disease due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection: A Case Report. Accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Annual Conference, 2024.
- La T, Nguyen M. Implicit Assumptions in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting: Exploring Surrogate Decision-Making and Autonomy. Accepted for presentation at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) Annual Conference, 2024