Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship Columbia - Faculty

Ben Thompson, MD, is a native of Cleveland. He completed his undergraduate medical education at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and is a proud Tar Heel. He then moved to South Carolina, where he completed his family medicine residency and hospice and palliative care fellowship at Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia.

After training, Dr. Thompson served as the associate program director until taking over as program director of the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship. In addition to his role as a palliative care physician, he is board certified in addiction medicine and sees patients hospitalized with sequelae of addiction. He is also the course lead for the medical school ethics curriculum.

Thompson is interested in early palliative care education for medical students and residents, and has worked to create an inquisitive learning environment where all members of the interdisciplinary team learn and grow together to take care of patients to the best of their ability. He is also interested in the overlap of palliative care and addiction medicine, helping to care for patients with a history of opioid use disorder who may have life-limiting conditions. His research focuses on virtual reality in palliative care and many quality improvement projects to improve the palliative care experience for patients and staff.

Outside of the hospital, Dr. Thompson enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, going on walks through the neighborhood, and playing tennis and ultimate frisbee.

Karin Jenkins, MD, is a graduate of Presbyterian College, where she received bachelor's degrees in psychology and biology. She graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2004, completed her residency in internal medicine at Greenville Hospital System University Medical Center in 2007, and is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine.

Dr. Jenkins worked as an academic hospitalist for many years before accepting the medical director position with Prisma Health Hospice. She enjoys teaching medical students, residents and fellows on the wards and through the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship. She has a special interest in using meditation and positive psychology to improve her patients' quality of life.

Jenkins lives in Camden, South Carolina, with her husband, Austin, and three children, where she enjoys hiking, bicycling and gardening.

Andres Leone, MD, a native of Argentina, begain his training in Ecuador studying clinical psychology and then transitioned into medical school. He received his medical degree from the Central University of Ecuador and completed his family medicine residency and geriatrics fellowship training at Prisma Health and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia. He is board certified in hospice and palliative medicine and has been practicing locally for approximately 20 years.

Dr. Leone has always been interested in volunteering, participating in medical missions in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras and Nigeria. He served as volunteer resident at the Good Samaritan Clinic and Free Clinic, Inc. for many years, and collaborated with local churches and community outreach with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.

Leone has received research grants through HRSA, Practice Change Leaders, The Hartford Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies and the Prisma Health Integrative Cancer Committee. He has published in the field of pain management, ultrasound in primary care, spirituality and palliative medicine.

John Bullard, MD, received his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston and completed his family medicine residency and hospice and palliative care fellowship training at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia. He is board certified in family medicine. Dr. Bullard strives to be an advocate for patients with complicated health care conditions and is committed to providing care which encompasses the patient as an individual. He values being able to build strong interpersonal relationships with patients and families to provide an extra layer of supportive care, aid in aggressive symptom management, and assist with preparation for the future which often can be uncertain when struggling with serious illness. He is passionate about palliative care both in and out of the hospital as well as promoting awareness of the benefits provided via a palliative approach along with concurrent care.

Victor Hirth, MD, received his medical degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. He then completed a two-year fellowship in geriatric medicine and gerontology at the University of Washington.

Upon graduation, Dr. Hirth was recruited to the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics. When he departed Prisma Health to start his new practice, he was professor and chief of Geriatrics, medical director for Geriatric Services at Prisma Health, medical director for Senior Primary Care, medical director for Ambulatory Case Management, medical director for the Prisma Health PACE program, medical director for Still Hopes skilled rehabilitation and long-term care, medical director for Prisma Health Physical Therapy Specialists and supervisor for the Palliative Care and Hospice program.

On a national level, Hirth has been a study section reviewer for the National Science Foundation, committee member for Public Policy and the nominating committee for the American Geriatrics Society. He currently serves on the board of directors for the American Geriatrics Society and was recently re-elected to a second term.

Lauren King, LMSW, was born in Pennsylvania but raised in South Carolina and prefers the warmer weather! She received her undergraduate degree in psychology and her Master of Social Work degree from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. After graduation she was accepted into a competitive interprofessional palliative care fellowship at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. After completing her fellowship, King has maintained a passion for the palliative care field and has been on the Prisma Health palliative care team for over 12 years. Additionally, she has a faculty appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine through the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia. She is certified in advanced palliative care and hospice social work and is also a board-certified hypnotherapist. She is most recently a graduate of the NYU Silver School of Social Work Zelda Foster Studies Leadership Fellowship. To keep sane, she remains active with running and cycling, loves to paint and watches terrible reality TV shows with her cat Zoey.

Kara Huncik, MD, is the medical director for Hands of Hope, the pediatric program of Agape Care Group. Hands of Hope provides pediatric palliative care and hospice care for children up to 21 years of age, covering South Carolina and now expanding into Georgia.

Dr. Huncik completed her medical degree at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Knoxville, and then completed her residency in pediatrics at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Later, she served as the medical director for MUSC's Medically Fragile Children’s Program. Following the closure of the MFC program in 2009, Huncik joined a private general pediatrics practice, where she continued to care for children with special healthcare needs and chronic medical conditions before joining Hands of Hope in 2021. Huncik is passionate about high quality, evidence-based patient and family-centered care.

Arun Singh, MD, received his bachelor's degree in physiology and neurobiology at the University of Connecticut in Mansfield and received his medical degree from Saba University School of Medicine in Saba. His postgraduate training includes completion of a pediatric residency at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine in Buffalo, New York, a pediatric critical care fellowship at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.

Dr. Singh serves as the medical director for the Division of Pediatric Supportive (Palliative) Care for Prisma Health in the Upstate region of South Carolina. He is an adjunct faculty member for pediatric palliative care clinical rotations for University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville medical students and residents, and for Spartanburg Regional Healthcare and University of South Carolina School of Medicine Columbia Hospice and Palliative Care fellows. Singh is board certified in pediatrics, hospice and palliative medicine and as a hospice medical director.

Singh’s clinical time is spent in providing inpatient palliative care consultation services to pediatric patients within Prisma Health Children's Hospital–Upstate, as well adult patients with chronic, complex conditions of childhood within Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital. His team provides perinatal palliative care to high-risk obstetric patients whose pregnancy has been complicated by a challenging and at times lethal fetal diagnosis. In addition, he is one of the four physicians at the Ferlauto Center for Complex Pediatric Care—a unique, interdisciplinary pediatric clinic dedicated to pediatric patients with a high-degree of medical complexity.

Dr. Singh recognizes that a child’s chronic health issues impacts not only them, but also their family, friends and community. He firmly believes that palliative care can provide patient/family-centered care from the time of diagnosis, throughout treatment and as a condition evolves. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends and King – a golden retriever mixed pup that serves as a facility dog for the Pediatric Supportive Care team.

Tonantzin Dominguez is a bilingual licensed clinical social worker with an advanced certification in hospice and palliative care. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in social work at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Florida.

Tonantzin is passionate about advocating for and working with underprivileged and culturally diverse populations in complex settings. She utilizes a strength-based and person-centered approach to empower her patients and families as they navigate significant life-altering experiences in the healthcare system, including grief, loss, caregiver fatigue, and medical decision-making. 

As a Southwest Florida native, Tonantzin misses all-year-round sunny days (except the humidity) but enjoys the nature SC offers to capture with a camera, reading, and spending time with family.