Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program

Fellowship Tracks

The University of Pittsburgh Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship offers four distinct training pathways designed to accommodate a range of professional goals, from intensive clinical preparation to advanced academic and combined specialty training. All tracks emphasize interdisciplinary care, evidence-based practice, and leadership development within one of the nation’s most comprehensive palliative care programs.

Adult Fellowship Track

The Adult Fellowship Track is a one-year ACGME-accredited clinical fellowship that provides rigorous, high-volume clinical training across inpatient, outpatient, home hospice, and long-term care settings. Fellows gain extensive experience managing complex symptoms, facilitating goals-of-care discussions, and leading interdisciplinary teams in diverse care environments. Graduates are well prepared for board certification and for leadership roles in academic or community-based programs.

Pediatric Fellowship Track

The Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is a one-year, ACGME-accredited program designed for physicians pursuing careers in pediatric palliative care, whether in academic or clinical settings. Fellows receive comprehensive training in pain and symptom management, care coordination, decision-making support, end-of-life care, and bereavement care for children and young adults with life-limiting illnesses.

The inpatient pediatric experience is based at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, nationally ranked as a top 10 children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. The hospital’s palliative care program, established in 2003, receives consultations from multiple services, including oncology, neonatology, cardiology, hospital medicine, critical care, cardiac transplant, gastrointestinal transplant, neurosurgery, and cardiac critical care. Fellows also participate in a continuity clinic in conjunction with the complex care clinic, caring for children with complex medical needs.

Elective opportunities allow fellows to tailor training to their interests and include perinatal palliative care, music and art therapy, child life interventions, sibling bereavement support, pediatric physical medicine and rehabilitation (inpatient or outpatient), outpatient complex care, and pediatric neurology consult services. With faculty including Scott Maurer, MD; Amanda Brown, MD, MS; Justin Yu, MD, MS; Christine Bishop, MD, MA; and Kelly W. Harris, MD, the pediatric team is flexible in designing additional electives to meet fellows’ educational goals.

Fellows in the pediatric track participate in the same structured didactic sessions, scholarly activities, and research opportunities as adult-track fellows, while also benefiting from mentorship and teaching from both pediatric and adult faculty with extensive clinical and educational experience. Graduates are board-eligible for Hospice and Palliative Medicine through their primary boarding organization.

Applicants who have trained in pediatrics may apply to the pediatric track, the traditional adult fellowship track, or both.

Pediatric Track

Two-Year Academic Fellowship

The two-year fellowship option extends training beyond the clinical year to prepare physicians for academic careers as educators or investigators in the field of palliative medicine. In addition to advanced clinical experience, fellows pursue a master’s degree through the University of Pittsburgh Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE), either in Medical Education or Clinical Research. This track emphasizes scholarly productivity, mentorship, and leadership development to support fellows in building long-term academic careers.

Combined Palliative Care and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship

The three-year Combined Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship, directed by Annie Im, MD, and Ethan Silverman, MD, is one of only a handful of ACGME- and ASCO-approved pilot programs in the nation. The innovative curriculum integrates dual training to prepare physicians for certification in both specialties within three years instead of four.

During the first year, fellows focus primarily on palliative medicine with select hematology/oncology electives; the subsequent two years emphasize hematology/oncology training with continued engagement in palliative care practice and mentorship. An optional fourth year allows additional time for research and master’s-level coursework.

Combined Hematology-Oncology and Palliative Track