Division of Palliative Medicine
The mission of the Division of Palliative Medicine is to improve the lives of patients living with serious illness through high value clinical care, clinical innovation, cutting edge research, and training the next generation of clinicians in person-centered skills.
Clinical Services
Our Palliative Care Clinical programs feature comprehensive services that are staffed by physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers, chaplains, child life specialists, and volunteers who are specially trained to support the physical and psychological needs of patients and families facing the complex challenges of serious illness.
We offer both inpatient and outpatient services across the health network including UVM Medical Center, Porter Hospital and Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing, UVM Home Health and Hospice, Central Vermont Hospital, and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital.
Education
The Division of Palliative Medicine provides phenomenal learning experiences for fellows, residents, medical students, graduate nursing students, and attendings.
Students
For medical students, we lead a 1-week course during the 3rd year of medical school that teaches students the clinical and communication skills for generalist palliative care. We also offer a 2-week rotation during the 4th year of medical school for students who would like to get more exposure to Palliative Medicine. Nursing students and APP students can also join us for 2-week rotations. If you are interested, please reach out to Rhonda Hanley.
Residents & Fellows
We teach in several residency programs at UVMMC, offering workshops on pain & symptom management as well as communication skills. Residents and fellows in other specialties can join us on the inpatient consult service for two-week and four-week elective rotations as well as on electives at UVM Home Health and Hospice. If you are interested, please reach out to Heather Gutchell.
UVM Health Network Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship
We offer a 1-year fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine for physicians who are interested in specializing in palliative care. Please visit our website for more details and who is eligible to apply. Applications for the 2024 cycle are due by August 7, 2023 at 5pm EST.
Continuing Medical Education
We offer communication skills courses through TalkVermont monthly to help practicing clinicians improve their skills in serious illness conversations. Please visit our website for info on the courses we offer.
We also hold monthly Great Rounds on various palliative care topics on the first Thursday of the month. If you are part of the UVMHN and are interested in attending, please reach out to Marcus Nappo.
Research
Visit the Vermont Conversation Lab for our research activities around serious illness communication skills. We also have several quality improvement projects around how to improve pallative care delivery in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Please contact Dr. Robert Gramling to inquire about research opportunities in Palliative Care.