Dr. Treat has a rare ability to approach complex and painful topics in a way that is both compassionate and holistic. Rather than avoiding the difficult realities that families like mine face, she brings them to light with sensitivity and respect, validating the entire family experience. She understands that by helping parents gain a clearer view of what may lie ahead—even when that path diverges from their hopes—they can feel more prepared and supported in their journey.
Jennifer Siedman, Director of Community Engagement Courageous Parents Network
Dr. Lauren Treat has dedicated her career to the service of patients and families with serious neurologic illness. Her international leadership in neuropalliative care has helped establish this emerging discipline, introduced a generation of learners to the field, and centered a humanistic approach to care for children with neurologic conditions.
Dr. Treat began her career at the University of Puget Sound, where she graduated magna cum laude with honors in psychology. She went on to earn her medical degree from Mayo Medical School, where she was recognized with multiple scholarships and awards for her academic contributions. She completed her residency in child neurology and a fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Treat is among a handful of physicians board-certified in both neurology and palliative medicine and is now an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
At Children’s Hospital Colorado, she has served as the Interim Medical Director and Outpatient Lead for the Section of Pediatric Palliative Medicine, and she currently co-directs faculty well-being in the Section of Neurology. Dr. Treat has developed multiple curricula to train physicians in neuropalliative care, including programs for adult hospice and palliative medicine fellows, child neurology residents, and pediatric residents and subspecialists. She leads small group sessions for medical students on a variety of topics critical to professional formation, including delivering serious news, holding family meetings, and navigating complex decision-making.
Dr. Treat has had an impact on learners at multiple levels of training. Residents have described how working with Dr. Treat helped them unpack the emotional aspects of challenging interactions that occur in residency. They have shared how Dr. Treat’s practice highlights that being not only a physician–but also a human–in front of hurting families takes specific attention, especially after years of medical training centered on the cognitive job of answering questions and relaying facts. As shared by one trainee, “Dr. Treat has been one of the most influential attending physicians on the way I practice medicine and interact with families. She has provided and modeled many tools for discussions of prognosis and quality of life, which is such an integral part of child neurology. During my own conversations with families, I often find myself using phrases or strategies that I have learned from Dr. Treat.”
As shared by fellows in hospice and palliative medicine at the University of Colorado:
“I learned a lot working with Dr. Treat on palliative care. She taught me how to reframe my thinking with some patients to help families discern the things that are important to them and their child and should be considered when making decisions. I learned a lot about wording and approach when discussing with families.”
“Dr. Treat curated an outstanding experience with pediatric palliative care for me. She skillfully combined online modules and articles with real-life patient interaction/observation. Observing her thoughtful approach to patient communication was an incredible learning opportunity. I would strongly recommend this rotation to others, as palliative care skills are useful in nearly every field of pediatric medicine”
Dr. Treat’s reach extends far beyond her own academic institution. She has delivered invited lectures and grand rounds at organizations across the country, including the Child Neurology Society, International Child Neurology Congress, and the National Institutes of Health. Her presentations are known for their clarity and practical wisdom and include topics like enhancing prognostic awareness, person-first care, and the role of pediatric neuropalliative care in child neurology. She collaborates actively with advocacy organizations such as the Batten Disease Support and Research Association, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, and the Courageous Parents Network.
Dr. Treat’s research focuses on communication with families, medical decision-making, and prognostic awareness in pediatric neurological disease. Her work has been published in leading journals such as Neurology and the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. She has contributed to national consensus guidelines for the care of children with rare neurological diseases, including Friedreich’s Ataxia and CLN3 disease. She has written multiple book chapters on topics in pediatric neuropalliative medicine in the acute and outpatient settings.
Dr. Treat is a founding member of the International Neuropalliative Care Society and Vice Chair of its clinical committee. She founded the Pediatric Neuropalliative Medicine Quarterly Working Group, fostering collaboration among clinicians and researchers across the United States. She was recognized nationally as an Emerging Leader by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. As shared by colleague and palliative medicine physician Dr. Jori Bogetz, “She is a remarkable clinician who is incredibly dedicated to her patients. Not only does she advocate for them at the bedside and in the clinic, she also does so on a national level, developing the multidisciplinary workforce and inspiring future clinicians to meet the needs of children with neuropalliative needs in the future.”
While Dr. Treat’s many accomplishments speak for themselves, it is the humanity with which she does her work that distinguishes her career. Her example reminds us of the responsibility to look beyond a patient’s diagnosis and to see a family with hopes, fears, and a story to honor. She is highly deserving of the 2025 Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award and a wonderful model for all trainees and practitioners in child neurology.