Palliative Medicine & Care: Open Access

As an academic clinician, Huai Yong Cheng had training in organ-based specialty (cardiology), function-based specialty (geriatrics) and symptom and end of life based specialty (hospice and palliative medicine). His interest is to integrate geriatrics and palliative care principles and to provide holistic care, and to make best decision for frail elderly patients with multiple co-existing life-limited or life threaten conditions based on the best evidence. Also, he had training and experience in biostatics, epidemiology and evidence-based medicine, teaching, conducting secondary data analysis, systematic review, and clinical research in geriatrics and palliative care, and reviewing grant, academic meeting proposal and abstract, and manuscripts.

• Evidence-based medicine
• nursing home care
• Dementia care integrated with palliative care

His educational qualifications include BPT from Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai, MPT in Musculoskeletal and Manual Therapy from Manipal University, India and PhD in Physical Therapy from USA. He has 12 years teaching experience and he is presently working as Professor at Maharishi Markadeshwar Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (MMIPR), Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU), Mullana (Ambala), Haryana, India. He also has part-time clinical experience of 12 years which includes one-year senior internship at Christian Medical College, Vellore. His research experience includes 139 peer-reviewed indexed journal publications (21 in PubMed); 34 conference paper presentations in 11 countries including USA, UK, Australia, Canada and Singapore with 7 first prizes; Chief editor for two journals (Journal of Physical Therapy, and Indian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences) and editorial board member for 11 other journals; and peer-reviewer for 17 journals; He has also applied for Guinness Book of World Records for most number of published journal articles (n=50) in one-year period. He is a prestigious recipient of Dr CP Nair Oration award of Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP); Lien Centre for Palliative Care Bursary award from Hon’ble President of Singapore; Three-times recipient of outstanding contribution to medical literature award from Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore; and Distinguished alumni award of Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore. He is associated with 25 professional societies, and he has delivered invited lectures in 10 conferences, 4 symposia, 8 workshops, 2 seminars and conducted 8 workshops as a resource person. He has attended 5 conferences, 2 symposia, 11 CMEs, 33 workshops, and 4 seminars for his continuing professional development.

• Neurodynamics
• Rehabilitation
• Biomechanics
• Sports Injuries
• Posture
• Manipulation
• Palliative Care
• Clinical Examination
• Randamized Control Trials
• Evidence Based Medicine
• Systemic Reviews

PAUL CHARLES ROUSSEAU completed his education in Urbana University Urbana, Ohio BS, Cum Laude in 1974, Autonomous University of Guadalajara School of Medicine Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico MD in1978 and Linden wood University St. Charles, Missouri MFA program  (anticipated completion 2016). His post graduate education was in the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers Piscataway, New Jersey Fifth Pathway  from 1979-1980 and in University of Alabama Birmingham/Montgomery, Alabama Internal Medicine Residency from 1980-1983.He honored as Geriatrician of the Year Arizona Geriatrics Society Sun City, Arizona in1993. Some of his research projects include Pressure Sores in Nursing Homes in the State of Arizona 1988, Use of the Sof-Cell Mattress in the Prevention of Pressure Sores, Standard Textile Company, Inc.1988. His professional experience includes Chief, Geriatrics VA Medical Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee   1986-1987, Medical Director, Senior Medical Director, Medical Consultant, Associate Professor of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. His professional organizations includes Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, American College of Physicians, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Society for Participatory Medicine.

• Pressure Sores in Nursing Homes in the State of Arizona   

• Use of the Sof-Cell Mattress in the Prevention of Pressure Sores

• Single Dose Rocephin in the Treatment of UTI’s in the Ambulatory Elderly

• Dietary Cholesterol and Fat Intake on Nutrient Status and Dietary Intake of Institutionalized Elderly
• Fall Risk Assessment for Homebound Patients 

• Differences Between Patients’ and Nurse Interpretation of Pain in a Long-Term Care Facility

• Mammography in Older Males     

Dr. Uma Hariharan is an Assistant Professor in Anesthesia and Intensive Care, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Central Health Services, Teaching Cadre, New Delhi. She has done her MBBS (AFMC, PUNE), DNB (Anesthesiology – Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi), PGDHM– Hospital Management (NIHFW, Munirka, New Delhi), Fellowship Oncoanesthesia (Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi); Fellowship in Ultrasound guided Regional Anaesthesia from Ganga Hospital, Coimbatore. She has published various papers for both National and International Journals.

Oncoanesthesia 

Transplant Anesthesia 

Pain Management 

Critical care 

Advanced Trauma Life Support 

Dr. Lunsford Beverly is an educator and researcher working to improve care for older adults. As Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health and Humanities, she brings together inter professional faculty to provide geriatric and gerontology educational programs for practicing healthcare practitioners in many aspects of healthy aging, care management for chronic illnesses, person-centered care, palliative and end of life care, care of older adults with neurocognitive disorders and their families, and evidence based falls management programs. She conducts research with other inter professional faculty in the use of humanities and creative arts for educating practicing healthcare professionals, including implementing a person-centered approach to care. She also conducts qualitative research including investigating the older adult’s sense of continuity of meaning and long term cancer survivorship in older adults.

• Palliative Care
• Alzheimers
• Parkinson's Syndrome
• Age-related Macular Degeneration
• Mineral Nutrition

Dr. Yi Rong earned her doctorate in Medical Physics Department at University of Wisconsin (UW) Madison in 2008. After she finished her PhD training, she accepted a faculty position in the Radiation Oncology department at UW Madison. She had also been a medical physicist and clinical instructor in Radiation Oncology at UW Madison.In 2011, she accepted an Assistant Professor position in the Radiation Oncology Department in the Wexner Medical Center at the Ohio State University. She has published a number of high-quality papers in the leading journals during the past years. She has also been serving the editorial work for several high-impact journals in the field.

• Improvement of treatment protocols and quality assurance
• Design of clinical trials
• Study of various treatment modalities
• Respiratory gated and imaged guided radiotherapy
• Full spectrum of treatment modalities including external beam radiotherapy, HDR brachytherapy, LDR brachytherapy, intra-operative radiotherapy (IORT), imaging guided radiotherapy, respiratory gating, Gamma Knife, linac-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), CT diagnostic imaging, etc.

Ji Won is an assistant professor of department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health with a secondary appointment in a medical director in the Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) at the Aurora Health Care. Ji Won is also a core faculty researcher in the Center for Senior Health and Longevity at the Aurora Health Care, Wisconsin. Ji Won received his MD and MS degrees from Korea University College of Medicine. He completed internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and geriatric medicine fellowship at University of Michigan School of Medicine and research faculty at the University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology.

• Understanding and improving the quality of care older adults receive in the acute hospital care setting, in particular intensive care. 
• “Integrative Palliative Care, Advanced Directives and hospital outcomes of critically ill older adults”

Jay B Mehta M.D. FCCP is Professor of Medicine in the division of Pulmonary Medicine at the Quillen COM. He is one of the founding faculty members of the ETSU College of Medicine (1977) He received his medical degree from the M.S. University of Baroda, India and received the national scholarship during his college years, an honor that is quite rare in India. After his medical graduation he served as a Jr. Lecturer in the Dept. of physiology at the Govt. medical School of Surat, India. He then went to the Govt. Hospital of Jinja, Uganda for residency in Medicine and Ob-Gyn. During the exodus created by Edi- Amin- president of Uganda, Jay left E. Africa to come to the USA.

During 12 months of rotating internship in Chicago, Jay rotated through the famous Cook county hospital in Chicago, IL. He then went to N.Y.U. Stony Brook, NY for his Residency in Internal medicine followed by one year as a chief resident and fellowship in Pulmonary Medicine. During 1976-77 he completed his 2^nd year of pulmonary fellowship at Univ. of Colorado with additional six months of research training in TB at the National Jewish Hospital of Denver, CO. Dr. Mehta is Board certified, both in Gen. IM and Pulmonary Medicine (ABIM).

After arriving in Johnson City TN, Jay has served in many important committees and received many awards. Since 1977 to the current year he has served as the Medical Director of Tuberculosis program of First TN Region, TDPH, thus forming the first important bridge between the COM and the Department of Public health. In 1986, he established the Div. of Community Health and became the first Assistant Dean of the community Health for the Quillen COM. Through this position he brought public health grant and developed rural health programs. In subsequent years he became the Chief of the Div. of Preventive Medicine in the Dept. of IM. He introduced PM/Epi.in the curriculum and assisted MPH program on the ETSU campus. TB control program grant continues to bring funding to the COM and he continues to remain an active teacher and respected pulmonary consultant in the area.  During 2007 to 20013 he has also served as an associate chairman in the department. Currently he serves as APD for fellowship programs.

In 2001, ETSU recognized him by giving a Distinguished Faculty award for his outstanding services. His leadership in TB program of the state of TN led to his appointment by the State Governor, as the first chairman of the TB elimination task force. Several CME activities throughout the state and improved state guideline contributed to reduction of TB incidence in TN. In 1996 TMA recognized his many contributions in the field of TB by awarding him the “Distinguished physician of the state” Award.

In last 35 years, Dr. Mehta has served in many local and state wide committees and has served as the president of the Tri-county medical society (1999). He has published more than 108 papers, 65+ abstracts and has presented several lectures at local and national levels. In addition to his interest in teaching and clinical practice, he is one the founding members of the Pulmonary Associates of E.T. first subspecialty group in Johnson City. Dr. Mehta is also a founding member of an Indian community organization (RIACC). For six years (2001-5) he conducted annual seminars on “Wisdom from the East and West” in the Tri-city area. Such activity was needed in this area. In addition to teaching, TB elimination and many academic endeavors Jay has special interest in poetry and philosophy. He has published several books and papers in Gujarati literature and Eastern Philosophy.

• Tuberculosis
   
• Sarcoidosis
   
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation
  

Lillie D Shockney serves as the Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center as well as the Director of Johns Hopkins Cancer Survivorship Programs. Though her background is oncology nursing, she hold a University Distinguished Service Associate Professor of Breast Cancer faculty appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has received 41 awards for her work focusing on patient advocacy, survivorship, navigation, innovative breast cancer care that focuses on the psychological well being of patients and their families. 37 awards are national awards including being selected in 2011 by Johnson & Johnson as the Most Amazing Nurse in America. She also has received 4 state awards, including being inducted in the Maryland Women Hall of Fame. She has worked at Johns Hopkins since the beginning of 1983.

• Focus on quality of life for breast cancer patients and survivors including those coping with metastatic disease.

Dr. Matzo is a Professor and the Frances E. and A. Earl Ziegler Chair in Palliative Care Nursing at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Nursing in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is also a member of the Doctoral Faculty at The Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio and a Soros Scholar for the Project on Death in America. She was awarded a Doctorate in Gerontology from the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a Masters degree in Nursing from the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Her work for the Project on Death in America has included undergraduate curriculum development on the care of the dying patient and their family. Dr. Matzo work as Nurse Practitioner for the palliative care consult team at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, is an experienced Hospice nurse, provides continuing education programs related to death, dying and bereavement internationally, as well as co-authoring (with Deborah Sherman) the first Palliative Care Nursing Textbook published in the United States (now in its Fourth Edition). She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), one of the highest honors afforded nurses.

Dr. Matzo was the principal investigator (PI) on an American Cancer Society funded research grant entitled “Improving Communication about Sexual Health for Adults Living with Serious Illness” funded 2009-2011.  Dr. Matzo also explored “Oklahomans’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors related to Palliative Care,” which was a research project funded by the Hospice Foundation of Oklahoma. She was a Soros Scholar for the Project on Death in America undertaking a project entitled “Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Responses to Death Education.” She was also PI on a study of nurse’s practices of assisted suicide and published a seminal study with Dr. Ezekiel Emanual (1997) regarding “Oncology Nurses' Practices of Assisted Suicide and Patient-Requested Euthanasia in Oncology Nursing Forum. She was also the chief nurse investigator with Dr. Susan Block and Dr. Bob Arnold “Health Care Providers Responses to Their Patient’s Deaths” at Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School which was funded by the Cummings Foundation which was a qualitative analyses of health care provider’s responses to the death of their patients.

She has published 52 journal articles and 23 book chapters. Her work has been published in Nurse Practitioner, Nurse Educator, Geriatric Nursing, Nursing Homes, Geriatric Psychiatry, The Journal of Gerontological Nursing, Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, Applied Nursing Research, Heart and Lung, Nursing Education Perspectives and the Geriatric Clinics of North America. Dr. Matzo is a three time winner of the American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year award.

• Dying Person
• Gerontological Nursing
• Curriculum Development

Dr. Raffaella Pannuti, as President of Italian National Foundation for Tumors (ANT Foundation), a nonprofit organization that deals with free home care for cancer patients, represents the biggest and most recognized Italian institution in the field of Domestic Palliative Care for Patients affected by oncologic pathologies.

The organization she is leading has been taking care of 96.000 patients since the beginning of activity, in 1978, offering fundamental services to all population, with high level quality of home care provided by doctors, nurses, physicians, psychologists and high profile professionals. The professionals working for ANT in the whole Italian territory are 400 people.

Her commitment as President of ANT has been the one to spread the ethical welfare beyond the boundaries of Bologna, the city where ANT was based, to take this solidarity system on the whole Italian territory and abroad. A strong attention to the needs of the territories, and by encouraging institutional cooperation agreements with hospitals and local or national public health system, achieved in the creation of 130 delegations in Italy and also of some projects abroad (Germany, Albania, Czech Republic and India). The development of ANT passed through a complete renewal since she is charged of Presidency: Her strong commitment was to make the organization capable to put into value its own traditional ethical service while investing on technologies, in order to achieve in providing wide range services to patients further to the home care medical actions.

Social change is influenced by critical trends such as globalization, new information and communication technologies and the growth of the ‘network society’. New forms of governance are also making headway. Her Research asks how these processes affect volunteering and participation in voluntary organizations, the finances and organizational forms of non-profit organizations. Other central themes include the role of these organizations in facilitating social integration, functioning as democratic actors and relating to public authorities.

• Home Palliative Care
   
• Organizational and Assistance models in PC and Quality Indicators
• Pain management
• Patients and Caregivers Psycho-Social Needs
• Caregivers Coping Strategies and Quality of Life
• Patient's Emotional Distress

A graduate of Ain shams university, Cairo Egypt in 1983. He spent three years as a pulmonology resident and was awarded Masters Degree in chest diseases after he presented his thesis on Short term treatment of pulmonary Tuberculosis. He immigrated to the Sates in 1989, and became a resident at NY Methodist hospital radiation oncology department in 1991, upon graduation he rotated at University of Pennsylvania for pediatric oncology fellowship.

Upon graduation from fellowship, he became an assistant attending in the same department of radiation oncology and he progressed from that position until he became the chairman of radiation oncology at NY Methodist hospital in 2010. He is also the program director of a fully accredited radiation oncology residency program at the same insanitation.

Dr. Ashamalla is well published; he has over 90 peer-reviewed and nationally presented publications. His main work in use of acupuncture to alleviate hot flashes in men with prostate cancer is a commonly cited study. He also has special interest in the use of PET/CT scan in designing radiation plans.

He is a reviewer of the International Journal of radiation oncology biology and physics, Technology at Cancer Research and Treatment Journal, Open Journal of Radiology (OJRAD) and Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer.

Dr. Ashamalla is named one of Top Doctors by Castle Connolly Medical since 2001and one of Best Doctors by New York magazine since 2011.

Dr. Felicia Schanche Hodge holds a joint position in the School of Nursing and Public Health. She has chaired the American Indian Studies program and teaches Indigenous Research Methods, Family Theory, and the Ethnical Conduct of Research. Dr. Hodge an active program of cancer research focusing on American Indians. Her work includes studies on tobacco use, cancer screening, (colorectal and cervical) and obesity control. She has recently completed a 5-year NCI R01 to study cancer related symptom barriers (pain, depression, fatigue, and loss of function) among American Indians in the Southwest. Dr. Hodge also leads the pre and postdoctoral (T32) program at the UCLA School of Nursing.

• Tobacco control
• Cancer screening and prevention
• Behavioral health, Domestic violence
• Adverse childhood events

Dr. Peter C. Coyte is a Professor of Health Economics in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. Prior to joining the University in 1987, he was a member of the Economics Department at the University of Alberta and, before that, at Simon Fraser University. 

He is a national and international expert in health economics, health services evaluation, and health policy and planning. In 2002, he was elected President of the Canadian Health Economic Research Association and he was instrumental in championing the evolution of that organization to form the Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR), a multi-disciplinary Association dedicated to improving the quality, relevance and application of health services and policy research for both researchers and users of research. He was elected the Association’s inaugural President of CAHSPR in 2003.

He was awarded a CHSRF/CIHR Health Services Chair in 2000 for ten-years and he has been the Director of CIHR’s Strategic Research and Training Program in Health Care, Technology, and Place since 2002. These awards emphasize research and training and have attracted significant multi-year financial commitments. In these roles, he cultivates mentoring networks for junior researchers and senior faculty, and fosters knowledge translation relationships with government, industry, and health care stakeholders. In recognition of these contributions to health services and policy research, he was awarded the Health Services Research Advancement Award in 2010 from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF).

• Health economics
• Health services evaluation
• Health policy, palliative care
• Care giving and labour market outcomes
• Health technology assessment
• Economic costs of smoking.

Dr. Kim Kuebler is an Associate Professor in the College of Health Professionals and Public Health at South University and lead faculty for the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. She is an Adult Nurse Practitioner graduate from Emory University’s School of Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice graduate from Vanderbilt University. Kuebler has successfully demonstrated an independent primary care practice in rural central Michigan - providing care to patients in clinic and home with privileges at local hospitals. She has received state and national attention and funding - for integrating palliative care interventions into traditional healthcare systems through coordination and continuity in patient care and follow-up. She has over two decades of palliative and chronic disease management - specializing in the clinical aspects of pain and symptom management for patients living with complex chronic conditions. She is a selected Mayday Pain Fellow from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY. She has generated extensive peer-reviewed contributions to the nursing and medical literature and has received national awards from her seven textbooks. She has studied with international palliative care experts in Canada and the United Kingdom and is a World Health Organization volunteer selected to teach and make medical palliative care rounds in China. Kuebler was appointed to the Michigan Governors Commission for End of Life Care legislation and held two consecutive appointments to the Evidence Based Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Kuebler has successfully demonstrated clinical research and dissemination of findings through peer review publications and national, international conference presentations.

• Clinical and include advanced disease management
   
• symptoms and self management–in optimal patient outcomes

Prof. James Giordano PhD, is Chief of the Neuroethics Studies Program in the Edmund Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics, and is core faculty of the Division of Integrative Physiology, and Inter-disciplinary Neuroscience Program at Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.  He is Clark Faculty Fellow of Neurosciences and Ethics at the Human Science Center of Ludwig Maximilians Universität, Munich, Germany, and William H. and Ruth Crane Schaefer Distinguished Visiting Professor of Neuroethics at Gallaudet University, Washington, DC, USA.

He is author of over 200 peer-reviewed publications, and 6 books in neuroscience, pain, and neuroethics. In recognition of his ongoing work, Prof. Giordano was awarded Germany’s KlausReichert Prize in Medicine and Philosophy (with colleague Prof. Dr. Roland Benedikter), was named Distinguished National Lecturer of Sigma Xi, the National Research Honor Society, and was elected to the European Academy of Science and Arts.

• Neuroscientific approaches to explore the mechanisms of pain
• Neuropsychiatric spectrum disorders
• Moral decision-making
• Neuroethical issues arising from neuroscientific research and its applications in medicine and public life

Dr. Philip Kim, a leader in interventional pain therapies, completed his anesthesiology residency and his fellowship in pain management at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. He was appointed assistant professor of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine for the Department of Anesthesia at University of Pennsylvania Health System.

He is the founder and medical director of Center for Interventional Pain & Spine in Newark, DE. With board certifications in anesthesiology and pain medicine, he specializes in the treatment ofback, neck, and cancer pains well as the treatment of complex regional pain syndromes. He is known mostly for his clinical expertise in the implantation and management of intrathecal drug delivery and neuro modulation therapies for the treatment of chronic pain. As a member of the American Board of Pain Medicine, the International Spinal Intervention Society, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and various other organizations,he maintains a special interest in these therapies and has lectured locally and nationally to his peers on this topic.

• Treatment of back
• Neck and cancer pains well as the treatment of complex regional pain syndromes
• Implantation and management of intrathecal drug delivery and neuro modulation therapies for the treatment of chronic pain.

Dr. Zhigang Li is an Assistant professor in the Department of Community and Family Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Prior to landing at Dartmouth, he received his PhD degree from the Department of Biostatistics at Columbia University in 2010. His current research focuses on the quantitative aspects of palliative care studies. Recently, he received a pilot grant from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center to study the design and analysis of Palliative care trials evaluating early interventions.

• Palliative care studies
• Randomized clinical trials
• Longitudinal studies

Dr. Ann Goelitz is a writer and a scholar with a wide scope of clinical experience, ranging from working with trauma survivors after September 11^th to her role as an experienced psychiatric social worker at a major New York inpatient medical facility. For the past ten plus years, as a psychotherapist in private practice, she has specialized in cognitive behavioral therapy, dream analysis, and EMDR, helping clients navigating transitions and healing from trauma and loss. A seasoned educator, she has done extensive public speaking, published numerous articles, and co-authored an award winning resource directory for caregivers. Her soon-to-be published book, From trauma to healing: A social worker's guide to working with survivors, has received endorsement and accolades from leaders in the field of trauma and victimization. Her latest writing projects include a book on how to cope with stress written with both laypeople and professionals in mind. She has taught at Columbia University and Hunter College.

• Positive coping with illness and death for both patients and family members
   
• PTSD as a result of illness
   
• PTG as a result of illness
   
• Dreams and nightmares related to illness

Dr. Lauren Shaiova trained as a fellow in Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. After her training she accepted a position as an attending physician in the Department of Pain and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in NYC, and was appointed assistant professor at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. At Beth Israel she held positions as Palliative Medicine clinical director of the HIV/AIDS service, Sickle cell pain clinic, Cancer pain and palliative outpatient services, and held weekly clinics in the department of radiation oncology. In addition she attended on the consult service for hospitalized patients with pain and symptom distress related to cancer.

She left Beth Israel Medical Center after 9 years and accepted a position at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to begin a career change that centered around cancer patients only and their pain and palliative care medical needs. She attended on the Pain and Palliative Service, and had a geriatric clinic weekly focusing on chronic pain in the elderly as well as ends of life issues, and was director of the inpatient unit ay Memorial. She held the title of associate professor at MSKCC and a parallel appointment at Weill Cornell Medical School.

She was the Chief of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Metropolitan Hospital Center in East Harlem where she has developed the only Department and ACGME fellowship in a public hospital in the country.

She is well published and has lectured nationally and internationally and has spent much of her time over her career volunteering in developing countries with Physicians for Human Rights. Most in Haiti, where among usual medical care for injured adults and children. She was instrumental in the development of a Palliative Medicine unit at a local hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Recently, summer 2013, she volunteered in Ghana (Africa) with the Yale Alumni Service Corps, to deliver health care in Yamoransa, Ghana and to establish a sustainable healthcare system in this village.

Most recently she has moved to Lutheran Medical Center to start a new Division of Palliative Medicine, she will open a new fellowship MD training program in July, 2013.

New medications for the treatment of pain in the advanced cancer population, she is the principle investigator on several ongoing studies. She is widely published in the cancer pain, fatigue associated with cancer and cancer treatment, and shortness of breath as it relates to cancer. She is also interested in disparities in health care and knowledge of Pain and Palliative care in the public health care system. Dr Shaiova has lectured widely nationally and internationally on her expertise and sits on numerous boards for legislature and the law with regard to the war on cancer pain. Most recently she attends classes at the Benjamin Cordozo School of Law to receive her certificate in Bioethics.

Dr Zubia Veqar is an Assistant Professor in the Centre for Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia which is one of the premier universities of India located in New Delhi. She has a Master’s degree in orthopaedic physiotherapy and has submitted her PhD in sleep medicine. She is a frequent speaker at various national as well as international events. For the past fifteen years, Dr Zubia Veqar has published various papers in national as well as international peer reviewed journals. Her numerous professional publications focus on her research and clinical interests in thePalliaative care education, Sleep medicine and orthopaedic physiotherapy. 

Palliative care education

Palliative care curriculum designing

Orthopaedic Physotherapy

Sleep medicine

Dr. Bob Klugman, is the Vice President for Medical Affairs for the Eastern region of Kindred Healthcare, the nation’s largest nursing, rehabilitation and transitional care organization.

He comes to Kindred from UMass Memorial Healthcare, a 5 hospital, over 2 billion dollar academic system in central Massachusetts. He is an Associate Professor of  Medicine and Quantitative Health Science at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and former Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer. He also served as Medical Director of  Managed Care, leading the contracting efforts with payers, building registries, pay for performance programs and the quality structure which supported clinical integration for the over 1,200 doctors in the Managed Care network.

He graduated from the University of  Massachusetts Medical School, and completed his training in Internal Medicine at UMass as well. He established a practice in primary care internal medicine in Westborough MA, where he continues to actively care for patients. He served as medical director for a Kindred SNF as well as medical director for a local home health and hospice organization.

Prior to becoming the Chief Quality Officer for the UMass system, he served as Chief of Community Internal Medicine and Vice Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. 

He created the Center for Innovation and Transformational Change, comprised of a cadre of process improvement engineers and staff, which has taught over 3,000 employees the principles of process improvement, as well as providing expert support for system-wide process improvement projects. Bob’s area of research is focused on quality and safety science and the teaching of Q&PS to clinicians and others and he has a number of publications and active curricula.

• Integration of end of life decisions across the care continuum
• Advanced directives
• meaningful data and measurement

Dr. Penson is Clinical Director Medical Gynecologic Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also Clinical Director Cancer Services at Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. Considered a key opinion leader, he sits on the Ovarian Committee for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), whose compendia determine reimbursable therapy for treatment of cancer in the US. He is a Principal Investigator (PI) of multiple local, national and international studies, and actively participates in the design, conduct and analysis of multiple clinical trials. At any given time, approximately a quarter of his patients are on clinical trials.

He serves on the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) committee for quality of life research. His research interests focus on new drug development and psychosocial issues related to gynecologic cancer care. He is part of the team that runs ‘Schwartz Rounds’, a multidisciplinary forum that fosters staff dialogue on issues faced by patients, their families, and caregivers.

He serves as the chairman for panels C, and F of the Institutional Review Board of Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer care, and is responsible for review of all the Serious Adverse events, Deviations, Violations and Continuing Reviews.

Since 2005, he has been a faculty member teaching on Patient Doctor I, for first year Harvard Medical students. Since 2006, he has taught each year as an attending on the Bigelow General Medical Service at Massachusetts General Hospital.

He considers it an enormous privilege to care for patients with outstanding colleagues and see cutting edge scientific discoveries translated into clinical trials and new treatments in an environment committed to the highest standards of medicine, teaching and research.

• Quality of life
• Gyn Oncology
• Ethics
• Spirituality

Dr. Brian W Jones, a native of Indianapolis, serves as Director of Hospice and Palliative Care Programs at St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, KY. He holds a B.S. degree from Freed-Hardeman University, an M.S. from Lubbock Christian University, a Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Administration from Des Moines University, and a Doctorate in Health Sciences from A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of Health Sciences in Mesa, Arizona. He is also a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator (CHPCA).

Brian has written peer-reviewed journal articles on end-of-life care for the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, Counselor, andHome Healthcare Nurse. He has presented at several regional, state, and national conferences on hospice care, palliative care, bioethics, spirituality, and leadership. He has taught adjunct at several colleges and universities. He currently teaches Introduction to Ethics at The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences. He serves as an officer of the Kentucky Association of Hospice and Palliative Care and the Development Committee Chair for the Center for Respite Care (homeless medical recovery) in Cincinnati.

• Spirituality in healthcare
• evidence-based practice 
• medical bioethics

Dr. Senthil Kumar Paramasivam’s educational qualifications include BPT from Tamil Nadu, Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai, MPT in Musculoskeletal and Manual Therapy from Manipal University, India and PhD in Physical Therapy from USA. He has 12 years teaching experience and he is presently working as Professor at Maharishi Markadeshwar Institute of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation (MMIPR), Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU), Mullana (Ambala), Haryana, India. He also has part-time clinical experience of 12 years which includes one-year senior internship at Christian Medical College, Vellore. His research experience includes 139 peer-reviewed indexed journal publications (21 in PubMed); 34 conference paper presentations in 11 countries including USA, UK, Australia, Canada and Singapore with 7 first prizes; Chief editor for two journals (Journal of Physical Therapy, and Indian Journal of Medical and Health Sciences) and editorial board member for 11 other journals; and peer-reviewer for 17 journals; He has also applied for Guinness Book of World Records for most number of published journal articles (n=50) in one-year period. He is a prestigious recipient of Dr CP Nair Oration award of Indian Association of Physiotherapists (IAP); Lien Centre for Palliative Care Bursary award from Hon’ble President of Singapore; Three-times recipient of outstanding contribution to medical literature award from Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore; and Distinguished alumni award of Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University), Mangalore. He is associated with 25 professional societies, and he has delivered invited lectures in 10 conferences, 4 symposia, 8 workshops, 2 seminars and conducted 8 workshops as a resource person. He has attended 5 conferences, 2 symposia, 11 CMEs, 33 workshops, and 4 seminars for his continuing professional development.

• Evidence-based palliative care
   
• Palliative care journal's analysis
   
• Systematic review
   
• Cancer pain
   
• Mechanism-based pain therapies
   
• Qualitative research
   
• Biopsychosocial model

Dr. Franco Pannuti was born in Bologna (Italy). He worked as Honorary Professor in Institute of Oncology in Zagreb, Specialized in: Internal Medicine (1962), Work Medicine (1964) Cardiology (1966) Oncology (1971).He is an Honorary Professor in Institute of Oncology in Zagreb. He served as a President of SIAD [Italian Society of Home Care], AIOM [Italian Association of Medical Oncology], ESMO [European Society of Medical Oncology], EARC [European Association Researches on Cancer], SIEIO [Italian Society of Immunology and Oncology] and member of ASCO [American Society of Clinical Oncology]. He was the Founder of ANT [Associazione Nazionale Tumori] in 1978, served as a Chairman of National Board of Directors of ANT since 2001, Founder and Member of Board of Directors of AAANT [Amici dell’ANT] and also a Chairman of Board of Directors of ANT from 2002 to 2011. Dr. Pannuti is a Promoter and Director of “Eubiosia Project”, free-of-charge home care for advanced and very advanced cancer Patients (about 4.000 Patients per day in Italy). He served as a Counselor to Social Welfare, Voluntary Work and School in Bologna Municipality from 1999 to 2004. Since 2002, he is a Member of Health Ministry Committee for home care, and also a member of Italian High Health Counsel as oncology expert since 2003. He was honored with a Prize Bologna Province 2012 and “Commendatore” of the Italian Republic in 2012.

Dr. Donna Maria Cortezzo is completing her fellowship in Neonatal-Perinatal medicine in 2014 at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.Upon completion, she will join Cincinnati Children’s for a Pediatric Palliative Care fellowship.

Through the course of her fellowship, she has developed a passion for and interest in Pediatric Palliative care. Her interest in the field stemmed in part from seeing the need for pediatric, and more specifically, Neonatal Palliative care services and expertise. She has helped to develop a Palliative care program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center and has aided with the formation of end-of-life order sets, debriefing for staff, bereavement committees, staff/family bereavement ceremonies, and education for staff on Palliative and end-of-life care. She has conducted research on Palliative care in the NICU and end-of-life care experiences of staff and families. She has also participated in and led quality improvement projects focusing on pain and symptom management in the NICU. Her research has been published in leading journals and she has presented at national and regional conferences for Palliative care and neonatology.

Her ultimate goal is to help establish and improve formal perinatal-neonatal Palliative care programs, improve bereavement services in the NICU for family and staff, and to focus on pain and symptom management in the NICU.

• Neonatal Palliative care
• Perinatal Palliative care
• Neonatal end-of-life care
• Neonatal pain and symptom management
• Bereavement and support services for family and staff