@pittpalcare
A multi-disciplinary collaborative of University of Pittsburgh #palliative care researchers asking empiric questions and exploring ethical dilemmas to improve serious illness care. palcare.pitt.edu
#hapc26 starts tomorrow! Download the app or visit the conference website to build your profile + schedule. Pick up your badge tonight or Wednesday after 9am to avoid peak lines. With 2,500+ attendees expected, early pickup = stress-free start. https://ow.ly/z4mu50Youys
#hapc26 preconference attendees! Before heading to your precon session, please be sure to pick up your badge at Registration. Registration is open early, so give yourself a few extra minutes to check in and get settled. We can’t wait to kick off a great day of learning with you!
Who else is going to be at #hapc26 in San Diego next week?
We've been hard at work planning events for students, residents, trainees, and early career attendings again this year. Personally? I'm super excited for dueling pianos 😎.
Hope to see you there!
Journal of Palliative Medicine's website is currently being migrated over to the Sage platform and all JPM content will be freely available on the new Sage site for two months during this transition: journals.sagepub.com/home/PLM
To what extent is it our job as consultants to manage or attend to clinician distress? What happens when that clinician distress leads to conflict? #medsky
Guests Sara Johnson, Yael Schenker, & Anne Kelly.
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp385
😀 Hosts: @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social
The 2026 AAHPM Annual Assembly takes place March 4–7 in downtown San Diego and now’s the perfect time to start planning your trip. Discounted hotel rates are filling fast — we’re already 59% booked. Plan now: https://aahpm.org/education-events/annual-assembly/plan-trip/
Are Slow Codes ever ethical? We dive into the gray area of CPR, shallow compressions, walk don't run, compassion with deceit, outcomes vs values, bioethics vs real world, trust, + more. #medsky
👉 Post: bit.ly/GeriPalEp378
😀 hosts @alexsmithmd.bsky.social | @ewidera.bsky.social
Drs. @ginapiscitello.bsky.social and @hauschildt.bsky.social discuss their research on hospital policies influencing clinician approaches to decisions to withhold or withdraw life-sustaining treatment among patients admitted to an #ICU: www.chestnet.org/guidelines-a...
@gretchemaben.bsky.social
Dr. Jane Schell is a co-author on a new roadmap from the International Society of Nephrology for advancing clinical research in nephrology. Read the results from the working group:
Dr. Kelly Harris was senior author on this qualitative study by a Pitt Med student on terminology used by clinicians in fetal cardiology consultations with family caregivers. Read more: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41007075/
This secondary analysis of a primary palliative care trial, co-authored by several PaRC faculty members, examines the concerns and self-management strategies of older patients with advanced cancer. Read what they found: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40782786/
ICYMI: Dr. Justin Yu is a co-author on this protocol paper describing the ENGAGE RCT, an intervention which applies Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for stage IV cancer patients in underserved areas. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40834926/
An opioid de-prescribing pilot led by a palliative care pharmacist was safe and effective at reducing doses of opioids for patients in remission from cancer but time-intensive. Read about the program: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40749899/
J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Nov;70(5):503-513.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.07.033. Epub 2025 Aug 11. Assessing Perceptions of Positive and Negative Content within Goals of Care Notes, Gina M Piscitello, Emiliano Garcia-Fuentes, Robert M Arnold, Jane Schell, Katrina E Hauschildt.
What sorts of comments in EHR notes do patients and healthcare providers consider to be "negative"? Dr. Gina Piscitello found disagreement in a recent study, available from @JPSMjournal.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40803567/
Justin A Yu K23 Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
Congratulations to Dr. Justin Yu, who was recently awarded a K23 award to pursue a pilot study of an intervention for caregivers of children with medical complexity. Read more: www.palcare.pitt.edu/dr-justin-yu...
J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Aug;70(2):e129-e136. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.04.007. Epub 2025 Apr 17. Characterizing the Documentation of Time-Limited Trials in Goals of Care Notes Gina M Piscitello, Robert M Arnold, Jane O Schell, Jacqueline M Kruser
Dr. Gina Piscitello writes on the lack of documentation of time-limited trials in goals of care notes. Read more from the study team in @jpsmjournal.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40252856/
Palliative Care Section Chief Jane Schell has been accepted to the Institute on Healthcare Improvement Fellowship program through a scholarship from the John A. Hartford Foundation. Her project will develop & measure a palliative dialysis intervention.
Congratulations to Rene Claxton, MD, MS, recipient of the UPMC Physician Excellence Award – Senior Physician Excellence in Clinical Care! 🌟 She's celebrated for her exceptional patient care, groundbreaking educational innovation, & deep commitment to uplifting colleagues & trainees.
Assessing the Content of Goals of Care Documentation for Hospitalized Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Gina Piscitello, Jennifer Lingler, Katherine Ramos, Yael Schenker, Robert M Arnold, Jane Schell.
Dr. Gina Piscitello is first author on a study of goals of care documentation for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Co-authors include other PaRC faculty. Read more from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40318049/
Dr. Christine Kistler is senior author on this study characterizing advance care planning directives documented in a large primary care network. Read the findings: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...
Dr. Yael Schenker was interviewed about advance care planning on the AJCO Oncology Practice Podcast. Listen here: ascopubs.org/do/advance-c...
Read a summary of the study's results: www.mcknights.com/news/goals-o...
Dr. Gina Piscitello found in a new study that goals of care conversations held with the specialty palliative care service, and those held within the first 48 hours of admission, were associated with significant positive patient outcomes. Read the results: jpsmjournal.bsky.social
Faculty in the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and UPMC's Palliative and Supportive Institute recently developed and piloted a palliative care elective course for pharmacy students. Read about the course:
Current and former PaRC faculty and staff are coauthors on this paper which proposes a three-phase model of cancer pain. Read more in Cancer: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40931912/
Mentorship matters.
@pittpalcare.bsky.social Director Dr. Yael Schenker has been recognized with the Hillman Cancer Center's Outstanding Research Mentor Award for her exceptional support and guidance of the next generation of researchers. We are so proud to celebrate her leadership and impact! 👏
Dr. Amar Bansal is senior author on a study in JPM; participants in a communications training for Gastro-Intestinal fellows reported self-assessed improvement in readiness to have conversations about serious illness. Read more:
Dr. Schenker receiving the award
Congratulations to Dr. Yael Schenker, who was the recipient of the Hillman Outstanding Research Mentor Award at the 2025 UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Scientific Retreat! www.palcare.pitt.edu/dr-yael-sche...
