Director, Palliative Care Service,
Stony Brook University Hospital
The Section of Palliative Medicine was established in 2007 within the Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine and since inception has been an integral component of the Stony Brook University Hospital as well as the Renaissance School of Medicine. Our mission is to provide expert Palliative Care to patients with serious illness and their families while upholding our educational commitment to expand awareness and knowledge of Palliative Care by educating trainees, faculty and clinical staff in primary palliative care skills. Our research mission seeks to improve the care of seriously ill patients by expanding the role of palliative care in patient and family outcomes.
Our Palliative Care Interdisciplinary team is composed of experienced and diverse faculty, including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other supporting staff. The diverse disciplines and unique expertise of each faculty ensures that our patients are able to receive quality, interdisciplinary and individualized care. We strive to address the challenges and disparities of our diverse patient population in order to provide optimal and equitable care.
Throughout the years our section has expanded to meet the needs of our patients, community and trainees and collaborates in hospital wide initiatives, community outreach, quality improvement efforts and research. Our educational efforts include an expanded Palliative Care curriculum throughout Stony Brook Medicine and the Renaissance School of Medicine encompassing medical students, medical residents, undergraduate students, nursing and nurse practitioner students and social work students. Our curriculum incorporates experiential learning, lectures, conferences and a simulation lab.
We are proud of our achievements; however, we continue to strive to excel as Palliative Care specialists and as educators/researchers. We recognize the delicate nature of our patients’ illnesses, their unique experiences and needs, and are committed to improve their quality of life and walk alongside them in the trajectory of their illness.
