Dr. Bruce (B.J.) Miller, M.D. executive director of the Zen Hospice Project. He is also a hospice and palliative care specialist who treats hospitalized patients with terminal or life-altering illness at UCSF Medical Center. He also sees patients in a palliative care clinic, the Symptom Management Service, of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. ^[1]

BJ previously served as ZHP’s Executive Director and Board member, contributing to the development and dissemination of ZHP’s pioneering model of human-centered end of life care.

Over his years with the organization, he also cultivated myriad partnerships and strategic relationships with community organizations and practitioners.

A charter member of San Francisco’s Palliative Care Task Force, BJ continues to champion Zen Hospice Project’s efforts to help bridge the spiritual and humanitarian approaches to end-of-life care through ZHPs Mindful Caregiver Education Program and Caregiving Services.

Following undergraduate studies in art history at Princeton U, BJ received his MD from University of California San Francisco as a Regents' Scholar and completed his internal medicine residency at Cottage hospital in Santa Barbara, California, where he served as chief resident. He completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at Harvard Medical School, with clinical duties split between Massachusetts General Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

During his sophomore year at Princeton, Miller was messing around with friends after leaving a party.

He climbed on top of a parked Dinky shuttle train, and 11,000 volts arced from the power line through the watch on his left hand, running through his body.

He was severely burned and nearly died.

The accident resulted in the loss of his legs below the knee and his left forearm.

He walks, hikes, and bikes on carbon-fiber prosthetics that look like supple metallic bones.