THE
LILIAN AND BENJAMIN HERTZBERG PALLIATIVE CARE INSTITUTE
PALLIATIVE CARE NEWSLETTER FALL 2014
Hertzberg Director Wins Prestigious AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY GRANT R. Sean Morrison, MD
Funding will develop programs in specialized palliative care for children and foster a new generation of palliative care researchers Dr. R. Sean Morrison, Director of the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute and the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC), was in April granted the American Cancer Society’s most highly regarded research award. The American Cancer Society’s Clinical Research Professor Award, one of only two such grants available annually, will bring $400,000 to NPCRC over the next five years to develop programs in specialized palliative care for pediatric cancer patients and to help nurture a new generation of young researchers in the field of palliative care. “The fact that the American Cancer Society gave a palliative medicine physician their most prestigious research award clearly demonstrates the strides and impact that our field has made in this country,” said Dr. Morrison. Palliative care is a relatively new and growing medical specialty focused on relieving the symptoms, pain and stress of serious illness for patients and their families. It provides an added layer of support for patients of all ages and at all stages of any serious or advanced illness, regardless of the prognosis.
However, many existing techniques for managing pain and other symptoms have been developed for adults and do not adapt well to the treatment of children, explains Dr. Morrison. “We have a tremendous lack of evidence for how to effectively treat children with symptoms as common as pain or fatigue. These are symptoms that can rob pediatric patients of their childhood and for some patients can continue well into their adult lives,” he said. “Our hope is to really help improve the evidence base for kids with serious illness.” Dr. Morrison expects the grant to help foster a new generation of early-stage investigators in the field of palliative care and to provide palliative care researchers all over the country with a central place to access the technical assistance they need to advance their work. Dr. Morrison’s hope is that such research will help to plug the gaps in the evidence base for palliative care. This includes finding or improving techniques for the management of symptoms such as breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety, continued on page 4
BROOKDALE DEPARTMENT of GERIATRICS AND PALLIATIVE MEDICINE
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Linda Pang, MD; Sachin Kale, MD; Amanda Overstreet, DO; Elizabeth Lindenberger, MD; Christopher Woodrell, MD; Sivan Ben-Moshe, MD; Monica Sandoval, MD; Rachel Bedard, MD
Educational Director to Expand Innovative Communications Training Dr. Elizabeth Lindenberger, Assistant Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai, in August became one of the first ten recipients of a new grant program to advance groundbreaking palliative care initiatives. Dr. Lindenberger plans to use the funds to develop a program of communication training for generalist clinicians caring for older and seriously ill adults. The inaugural Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program, funded by the Cambia Health Foundation, provides emerging leaders in palliative care with a two-year, $180,000 award to support research, clinical, educational or policy projects. “Skilled communication is a core component of primary palliative care, and yet the majority of providers receive no formal communication training,” said Dr. Lindenberger. Palliative care is a new but rapidly growing field focused on relieving the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness. Communication is at the heart of this kind of care, to help patients and families get the information and support they need over the course of an illness, and to help them make treatment decisions in line with their individual goals. “I believe that clinicians want to feel confident leading difficult conversations with patients and their families who are navigating the challenges of illness and treatment decisions. Promoting
Dr. Elizabeth Lindenberger wins funding from Cambia Health Foundation’s new palliative care leadership program
communication training for generalist clinicians will be critical to meeting the needs of older patients, their families, and the healthcare system,” said Dr. Lindenberger. “This conviction has inspired my goal to become a national leader in communication training for clinicians of all disciplines caring for older people.” Dr. Lindenberger’s hands-on training course will be geared to nurses and physicians caring for older patients throughout Mount Sinai Health System. The new program will be based on GeriTalk, a two-day, evidence-based immersion course focused on teaching, practicing, and reflecting on effective communication skills supported by the Goldberg Education Fund and Mrs. Robyn Lane in memory of her husband, Mark Lane. Dr. Lindenberger is hopeful that after the grant program is complete, such communication training will be widely available for clinicians nationwide. Dr. Lindenberger directs and oversees the educational programs for medical trainees and existing faculty at the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at Mount Sinai. This includes leadership of the Institute’s fellowship program, which she has helped grow to become the largest and most competitive palliative care training program in the country. With ten palliative care and integrated geriatrics and palliative care fellows, this year’s incoming class is the largest in the field’s history. ■
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Hertzberg Director Campaigns for PALLIATIVE CARE BILLS Dr. Sean Morrison joins lobbying efforts for new legislation that will expand palliative care access, education and research Dr. R. Sean Morrison, Director of the includes more than 20 nongovernmental Hertzberg Institute for Palliative Care organizations dedicated to improving and the National Palliative Care Research quality of life for seriously ill patients and Center, spent a day on Capitol Hill in July their families. Members of the coalition to rally support for two new bills that include Mount Sinai’s Patty and Jay Baker will provide better access, education and National Palliative Care Center, which research for palliative care. encompasses the National Palliative Care Research Center and the Center to Dr. Morrison led one of ten teams in a Advance Palliative Care. day of lobbying steered by the Patient Quality of Life Coalition (PQLC). Members of the coalition visited more than 60 congressional offices to educate lawmakers on the value and impact of palliative care and to ask for support. Dr. Morrison’s team alone met with eight Senate and House offices from both sides of the aisle. The day’s efforts generated numerous new sponsors for the “Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act” (HR. 1339/S. Peggy Belanger, ACS CAN Volunteer; Sean Morrison, MD, Hertzberg Palliative 641) and the “Patient Care Institute; Christina Raia, Cancer Support Community; Emily Warner, Center to Advance Palliative Care; and Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama’s Centered Quality Care for Sixth District Life Act” (HR. 1666/ S. 2800). One of the lawmakers persuaded Since its founding in 2013, the PQLC by Dr. Morrison’s presentation was has developed a consensus-based agenda Senator Angus King (I-ME), who aimed at promoting public policy that co-sponsored the introduction of the will improve and expand access to high “Patient Centered Quality Care for Life quality palliative care. Act” in the Senate this September. Palliative care has been shown to improve The Patient Quality of Life Coalition both quality of care and quality of life during and after treatment. By focusing on the goals and needs of patients and their families, it enables patients receiving palliative care to avoid crises, make fewer emergency room visits, spend fewer days in the hospital and intensive care unit, and have less need for re-admission. ■ Dr. Morrison and his group prepare for the meetings on Capitol Hill.
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American Cancer Society Grant and depression; development of communication techniques to effectively deliver information to patients and assist with their decision-making; research into models of care delivery, in particular outside the hospital setting; and research into spiritual distress and the impact it can have on patients and their families.
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Dr. Morrison was also recognized this summer by Thomson Reuters in its list of the “World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds: 2014.” In 2013, the American Cancer Society recognized Dr. Morrison’s work to enhance quality of life for cancer patients with its award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer. ■
“Our hope is to really help improve the evidence base for kids with serious illness.” Dr. R. Sean Morrison “The Loom”
The Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, together with the Department of Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy, is pleased to introduce the inaugural issue of “The Loom”, our creative arts magazine. “The Loom” is a collection of artwork and creative writing from patients, families, caregivers and staff of the Palliative Care Unit. Art therapy is the therapeutic use of art making by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living. “The Loom” will be published biannually in the Spring and Fall and is available in print or online. To subscribe, please contact sarah.yazdian@mountsinai.org. Please visit www.mountsinai.org/ palliative for the first issue!
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070, New York, NY 10029 Tel. 212-241-1446 • www.mountsinai.org/palliative
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PALLIATIVE CARE AT MOUNT SINAI BETH ISRAEL TO GROW UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP Dr. Nathan Goldstein hopes to dramatically expand access to palliative care in Lower Manhattan Dr. Nathan Goldstein, Director of Research at the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, was named Interim Director of the palliative care program at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in June.
program at Beth Israel currently consists of one consultation team and a 12-bed inpatient unit for hospice patients. Dr. Goldstein hopes to enlarge the scope of the program using Mount Sinai’s Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute as his model.
The appointment marks Hertzberg’s official Nathan E. Goldstein, MD expansion to providing palliative care for seriously ill patients Doctors from Hertzberg have already and their families in downtown begun taking part in two-week Manhattan. With the support of Beth rotations on the Beth Israel team, Israel’s administration, the help and providing support to the consultation experience of colleagues at Hertzberg, service and the inpatient unit, and and funding from new philanthropy, exposing Beth Israel’s palliative Dr. Goldstein hopes to radically expand care fellows to a broader group of Beth Israel’s current palliative care attending physicians. In the next program. year, Dr. Goldstein hopes to increase the number of consultation teams as “This is an amazing growth well as the number of inpatient beds. opportunity for Beth Israel and for me He is also looking for philanthropic personally,” said Dr. Goldstein. “I’m support for Beth Israel’s palliative care so excited to work on building this fellowship program to build supportive program further with all the support services and for chaplaincy, social work, of the team at Mount Sinai and an and music therapy initiatives. administration at Beth Israel that is extremely supportive and dedicated to In the longer term, Dr. Goldstein palliative care.” is aiming to expand Beth Israel’s outpatient program for palliative care First established around 15 years to reach members of the community ago as the Department of Pain and outside of the hospital setting. ■ Palliative Medicine, the palliative care
“This is an amazing growth opportunity for Beth Israel.”
Fourth Century French Proverb
“To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”
FALL 2014
PALLIATIVE CARE NEWSLETTER
Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1070 New York, NY 10029