Division of  General Internal Medicine

Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program

Clinical Training

The clinical focus of the fellowship is on acquiring skills in providing comprehensive care to patients with life-limiting illnesses in acute care, ambulatory care, home care, and long-term care settings. Fellows will spend substantial time in each of these settings and will follow patients longitudinally as they move between different settings. The role of the physician as a member of an interdisciplinary care team will be emphasized in all clinical settings and encounters. The individual aspects of the clinical program are:

Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service

Fellows spend a total of six months on the inpatient palliative care consult services across UPMC Presbyterian-Montefiore, UPMC Shadyside, and UPMC Mercy. Adult-track fellows also complete at least two weeks on the inpatient supportive care service at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, with opportunities to extend this time for those with prior pediatric training or specific interests.

Outpatient Palliative Care Clinic

Fellows maintain a longitudinal half-day-per-week outpatient clinic at the Hillman Cancer Center Pain and Supportive Care Clinic, with additional experience at Magee-Womens Hospital and the Internal Medicine Recovery Engagement Program. Working within multidisciplinary teams, fellows manage patients at all stages of illness, addressing complex physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs while following patients longitudinally across care settings.

Home Hospice and Inpatient Hospice Care

Training in hospice medicine takes place through Family Hospice, the largest hospice program in western Pennsylvania. Fellows complete ten weeks of hospice rotations: six weeks in the inpatient hospice unit and four weeks making home hospice visits alongside members of the interdisciplinary care team. Dedicated teaching by academic hospice attendings, on-call experience, and exposure to patients across settings (inpatient to home or vice versa) ensure a well-rounded hospice education. Within this block, fellows also complete two weeks focused on bereavement and spiritual care, facilitated by hospice bereavement and chaplaincy teams.

Long-Term Care

During a two-week rotation, fellows gain experience in long-term and post-acute care, including time with Community LIFE, a provider of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Fellows participate in rounds at UPMC nursing facilities and receive additional exposure to wound care and chronic disease management.

Non-Malignant Palliative Care

A dedicated two-week block provides focused experience in non-malignant palliative care, including exposure to renal, cardiac, and pulmonary palliative care clinics.

Teaching and Scholarly Development

Teaching is a longitudinal focus throughout the fellowship year. Fellows receive mentorship and feedback as they deliver formal and informal educational sessions, including a one-hour lecture to peers, ten-minute “chalk talks” for rotating learners, and Internal Medicine noon conferences. Additional teaching opportunities arise through medical school and residency programs. Fellows also participate in a series of educational conferences, including Journal Club (presented biannually), Psychosocial Conference, Fellows’ Process Group, and Palliative Care Grand Rounds, which together provide academic grounding and support for reflective practice.

Electives

Fellows have 1.5 months to pursue elective clinical experiences tailored to their interests. Options include behavioral medicine, ethics, addiction medicine, integrative medicine, geriatrics, chronic pain, pediatrics, liver transplantation, critical care, cardiology, and pulmonary care, among others.

For more information, please contact: 

Kelsey Labishak, MS
Program Coordinator
wallacek7@upmc.edu

Training Sites

The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) is the leading health care system in western Pennsylvania and is the clinical hub of one of the nation’s most renowned academic medical programs. Together with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC hospitals train more than 1,300 residents and fellows each year in 82 specialty areas.

UPMC Presbyterian/Montefiore

UPMC Presbyterian is the flagship hospital of the UPMC health system and a major academic and research hub located in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. Founded in 1893, it is nationally recognized for excellence in organ transplantation, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, critical care, trauma services, and neurosurgery. As a Level I Regional Resource Trauma Center and leading referral hospital, Presby provides state-of-the-art care to patients from across the region and around the world.

UPMC Shadyside

UPMC Shadyside is a 520-bed, nationally ranked teaching hospital that has provided exceptional care to the Pittsburgh region since 1866. Home to the flagship campus of the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Shadyside offers advanced specialty services, innovative research opportunities, and a strong academic partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. As a Magnet®-designated hospital, it is recognized for excellence in patient care, nursing leadership, and clinical education.

UPMC Mercy

Part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, UPMC Mercy is a tertiary care teaching hospital located a few miles from UPMC Presbyterian. Mercy Hospital was Pittsburgh’s first charity hospital and retains this ethos. It now houses UPMC’s burn center and is the hub for the physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program. Our fellows’ rehabilitation, wound care, and ENT experiences are at Mercy Hospital.

Children’s Hospital of UPMC

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP) is a nationally recognized leader in pediatric care and the region’s only hospital exclusively dedicated to infants, children, teens, and young adults. Affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, CHP offers state-of-the-art facilities, including a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, and a full spectrum of subspecialty services. Its innovative John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center fosters groundbreaking discoveries in pediatric health, from genomics and immunology to transplantation and neuroscience, creating a rich environment for fellows to learn, collaborate, and advance child health.

Hillman Cancer Center

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is a nationally recognized leader in cancer care, research, and education, serving more than 170,000 patients annually across Pennsylvania and beyond. As one of only 57 National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country – and the only one in western Pennsylvania – Hillman integrates cutting-edge research with compassionate, patient-centered care. Fellows benefit from exposure to advanced treatments, innovative clinical trials, and a multidisciplinary team approach that exemplifies excellence in oncology and palliative medicine.

Family Hospice

As part of UPMC, Family Hospice has provided compassionate, expert end-of-life care to patients and families across western Pennsylvania since 1980. With services spanning private homes, skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, and hospitals, including a dedicated 12-bed inpatient hospice unit in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, Family Hospice ensures comfort, dignity, and support throughout life-limiting illness. Fellows gain experience alongside board-certified hospice and palliative medicine physicians in delivering holistic care that integrates medical expertise with complementary therapies such as art, music, and pet-assisted interventions, as well as bereavement support for families and the broader community.

GME Hospital Tour

Children’s Hospital Tour