Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of General Internal Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Yael Schenker, MD, MAS, FAAHPM

General Internal Medicine

Professor of Medicine with Tenure

Director, Palliative Care Research Center (PaRC)

Associate Director, Research Education, Training and Career Development, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center

Associate Chief of Research, Section of Palliative Care and Ethics

Email: yas28@pitt.edu
Contact
Office: 230 McKee Place, Suite 600
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
E-mail: yas28@pitt.edu
Administrative Assistant:
Candice Ford
Email: fordca3@upmc.edu
Phone: 412-692-4843
Education and Training
Education
AB, Harvard University, 1995
MD, University of California, San Francisco, 2004
MAS, Clinical Research, University of California, San Francisco, 2010
Training
Internship, University of California, San Francisco, 2005
Residency, University of California, San Francisco, 2007
Fellowship in General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 2010
Research Interest
Since joining the Department of Medicine in 2010, Dr. Schenker has led numerous mixed-methods studies focused on understanding and improving delivery of palliative care in serious illness. Her work has uncovered barriers to receipt of specialty palliative care, and she led one of the largest trials-to-date of a primary palliative care intervention in outpatient oncology practices. Additional interests include palliative care delivery in the ICU, improving goals of care discussions for hospitalized patients, impacts of opioid policies and the opioid epidemic for patients with advanced cancer, surrogate decision making, informed consent, healthcare advertising, and communication across language barriers.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Schenker practices palliative care.
Educational Interest
As Director of the Palliative Research Center and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Education and Training at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Dr. Schenker mentors numerous students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty. Her mentees have been successful in obtaining career development and R-level funding.
Publications
For my complete bibliography, Click Here.
Selected Publications:
Kavalieratos, D, Corbelli, J, Zhang, D, Dionne-Odom, JN, Ernecoff, NC, Hanmer, J, Hoydich, ZP, Ikejiani, D, Klein-Fedyshin, M, Zimmermann, C, Morton, SC, Arnold, RM, Heller, L, Schenker, Y. Association Between Palliative Care and Patient and Caregiver Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2016; 316(20): 2104-2114.
Schenker, Y., Park, S. Y., Jeong, K., Pruskowski, J., Kavalieratos, D., Resick, J., Abernethy, A., Kutner, J. Associations between polypharmacy, symptom burden, and quality of life in patients with advanced, life-limiting illness. JGIM. 2019; 34(4): 559-566.
Schenker, Y., Althouse, A., Rosenzweig, R. M., White, D. B., Chue, E., Smith, K. J., Resick, J. M., Belin, S., Park, S. Y., Smith, T. H., Bakitas, M., Arnold, R. M. Effect of an oncology nurse-led primary palliative care intervention on patients with advanced cancer: the CONNECT cluster randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine. 2021; 181(11): 1451-1460.
Schenker, Y., Hamm, M., Bulls, H. W., Merlin, J. S., Wasilko, R., Dawdani, A., Kenkre, B., Belin, S., Sabik, L. M. ‘This is a different patient population’: opioid prescribing challenges for patients with cancer-related pain. JCO Oncology Practice. 2021; 17(7): e1030-e1037.
Sponsored Research/Activities
Title: Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes in Western PA
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: None
Grant Number: NONE
Start Year: 2020
End Year: 2023
Title: Patient-centered and efficacious advance care planning in cancer: the PEACe comparative effectiveness trial
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Cancer Institute
Grant Number: R01 CA235730
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2024
Title: Expanding National Capacity and Diversity in Palliative care through Mentorship and Training
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: Arthur Vining Davis Foundation
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2020
Title: A Cluster Randomized Trial of a Supportive Care Intervention (CONNECT) for Patients with Advanced Cancer
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding Agency: National Cancer Institute
Grant Number: R01 CA197103
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2021
Title: University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute (Team Science)
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding Agency: National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
Grant Number: UL1 TR001857
Start Year: 2016
End Year: 2021
Notable Achievements
Early Career Investigator Award, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2016
Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year Award, Society of General Internal Medicine, 2017
Best Geriatric Abstract, Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting, 2018
Fellow, Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM), 2022-2023

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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