Robert M. Arnold, MD, is a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and in the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics and Health Law. He completed his medical school training at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and residency at Rhode Island Hospital. Subsequently he has been on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2000, Dr. Arnold was named the first Leo H. Creip Chair of Patient Care. The chair emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, particularly at the end of life. He is the Director of the Institute for Doctor-Patient Communication and the Medical Director of the UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute. He is clinically active in palliative care.
Dr. Arnold has published on end-of-life care, hospice and palliative care, doctor-patient communication and ethics education. His current research interests are focused on educational interventions to improve communication in life-limiting illnesses and better understanding how ethical precepts are operationalized in clinical practice. He also is working with the UPMC Health System to develop system-wide, integrative palliative services throughout the health system. He is the Past-President of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities as well as the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Mamta Bhatnagar, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh. She received her medical education at Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi, India and completed an internal medicine residency at St Vincent Charity Hospital, Case Western University in Ohio. Dr. Bhatnagar subsequently completed a fellowship in Geriatrics from the Cleveland Clinic and a palliative medicine fellowship from Summa Hospital Health System in Ohio.
Dr. Bhatnagar has written on frailty in palliative care, weight loss in the elderly and the side effects of psychoactive medications in older adults. She has successfully completed a Masters in Clinical Research at University of Pittsburgh and completed research projects exploring the importance of functional status to quality of life in palliative care patients and their clinicians. Dr. Bhatnagar serves as the Medical Advisor for the Supportive and Palliative Care clinical services at UPMC Shadyside campus. Her clinical responsibilities include Supportive and Palliative Care inpatient consults at both UPMC Shadyside and Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC. She also staffs a Supportive Care Clinic at Benedum as well as a Cognitive Assessment Clinic at General Internal Medicine.
Jason Byron, MA, is the Manager of the Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Services, UPMC Shadyside. He earned his BA in Philosophy from the University of Maryland and a MA in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh in 2010. He is currently a PhD candidate, History and Philosophy of Science.
In addition to his inpatient clinical responsibility as an ethics consultant at UPMC Shadyside, he is also the Vice-Chair of ethics committee at UPMC Shadyside and he teaches several classes at the University of Pittsburgh and provides in-service education to nursing and medical staff at UPMC Shadyside on ethical issues.
Julie W. Childers, MD, graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2005 and completed residency training in internal medicine at the University of Rochester in 2008. She completed fellowship training in palliative care in 2009 and obtained a master's degree in medical education from the Clinician Educator Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. She joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh in July of 2010 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine.
She serves as an attending physician on the inpatient consultation service and has an outpatient palliative care clinic at the Hillman Cancer Center. In addition, she founded the Suboxone Clinic within General Internal Medicine to provide services to patients with opioid addiction. Her academic interests include teaching communication skills and treating pain in patients with co-occurring addiction disorders.
René N. Claxton, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She completed her medical school training at the University of Florida, internal medicine residency at the University of Virginia and palliative medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh. She also completed a master's degree in Medical Education at the University of Pittsburgh. She is clinically active in the palliative care inpatient and outpatient settings and serves as the subspecialty education coordinator for the Section of Palliative Care and Ethics.
Carolyn Confer, MSW, LCSW, is a Clinical Crisis Coordinator in the Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Services Department at UPMC Shadyside Hospital and ethics consultant at Children’s Hospital. She earned her BA in Sociology, University of Pittsburgh in 2004, MSW, University of Pittsburgh in 2006.
In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she also serves as an Ethics Committee member at Children’s Hospital of UPMC.
Elana Manolis Gonzalez, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical crisis coordinator with the Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Service at UPMC Shadyside. She is a licensed clinical social worker who received a bachelor of social work degree at Chatham University and a master of social work degree with a specialization in health care at the University of Pittsburgh. She serves on the Social Work Advisory Board at Chatham University and remains active in educating the Chatham community about the importance of social work in palliative care. In her role at Shadyside, she provides ethics consultation throughout the hospital.
Kimberly Lewis Gottschalk, MBA, is the administrative director for the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics. In this capacity, she acts as a program coordinator and oversees the administrative responsibilities of the section's research and consult services. Ms. Gottschalk has a bachelor's degree from the School of Health Related Professions and a master's degree in business administration from the Katz Graduate School of Business, both at the University of Pittsburgh. Her professional background includes extensive experience in medical specialty practice management as well as a previous appointment as an assistant professor in the Dental Hygiene Department at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine.
M. Hamza Habib, MD, graduated from the Army Medical College, National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan in 2007, and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Saint Joseph Hospital, University of Illinois, Chicago in 2011. He completed fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine from University of Chicago in 2012. He is also training to certify in Integrative and Holistic Medicine, along with a concomitant executive MBA. He joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University Of Pittsburgh as a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in 2012.
He serves as an attending physician on the inpatient consultation service, and has an outpatient palliative care clinic session at the Hillman Cancer Center. His academic interests include pain management in nursing home settings, training healthcare workers in pain management, use of ketamine for cancer pain, use of buprenorphine in opioid addiction, and use of holistic approach and integrative therapies along with conventional therapies in end-of-life care. His non-clinical academic interests include Health Policy and Affordable Care Act and strategic planning in healthcare/ hospital management.
Sharon Hudak, RN, BSN, BC, is the Supportive Services Nurse Liaison for the newly established UPMC Supportive Services Program at UPMC Presbyterian/Montefiore Hospitals. As the nurse liaison, she completes an assessment on UPMC Health Plan patients who are at risk for readmissions and decreased quality of life. When a patient qualifies for the program, she and the Supportive Services team will follow the patient as consultants throughout their hospital stay and up to 30 days after discharge. She works in collaboration with the on-site case manager, the attending physician, the patient’s primary care physician and the UPMC Health Plan case manager to facilitate coordination of care.
Sharon received her BSN from the University of Pittsburgh. She is certified in Cardiac Vascular Nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Currently, she is enrolled in St. Joseph’s College of Maine’s Masters in Nursing Administration Program. Her professional background includes Director of Nursing at a long term care facility, Quality Assurance Coordinator at a free-standing outpatient surgery center and cardio-thoracic nursing.
Linda A. King, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. She participates in the UPMC Palliative Care Program on the inpatient consultation service and in an outpatient clinic. Dr. King graduated from Northwestern University Medical School in 1995, completed a primary care medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1998, and then completed a fellowship in palliative care at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Melissa Knorr joins the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics as the Academic Support Coordinator. She is responsible for all administrative functions for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows as well as maintaining the Division of General Internal Medicine ECU database. Melissa earned a Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies from Allegheny College, and has spent several years in Africa and Central America serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer. In this capacity she mentored school teachers in student-centered teaching techniques, tutored first and second grade students in basic phonics and reading, conducted disease prevention educational workshops and supported local groups in lifestyle changes to improve health.
Colleen Kosky joins the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics and UPMC Palliative and Supportive Institute as an administrative assistant supporting the overall mission to improve patient quality of life. She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication from the University of Pittsburgh and has several years of administrative and communications experience in non-profit and academic settings.
Czarina Kulick, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical crisis coordinator with the Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Services of UPMC Shadyside. She received a Master of Social Work degree at Smith College, School for Social Work in Northampton, MA. She is a certified oncology social worker with over 15 years experience in program development, acute care, and HIV-AIDS in both international and domestic settings. Since 2008, she has had a present Appointment with the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. She serves as part of a 10 member HIV Procurement Panel Member that reviews grants from HIV/AIDS and AIDS related services providers in Southwestern PA for Ryan White Funding.
In her role at UPMC Shadyside, she provides counseling for palliative and hospice care patients, while also working on creating new initiatives to better support patients and their families by focusing on memory making and legacy building activities. Czarina also works with the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System as a Senior Social Worker specializing with aging Veterans.
Janet Leahy, CRNP, is a nurse practitioner for the Palliative Care Service at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. Her primary role is to evaluate hospitalized patients for pain and symptom management and for clarification of goals. Ms. Leahy earned a diploma in nursing from St. Francis School of Nursing and a bachelor's degree in nursing from Waynesburg University. She is board-certified as an acute care nurse practitioner with a master's degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her background includes medical-surgical intensive care as well as home infusion of medications.
Scott Miller, MD, MA, is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh. He serves as the medical director of the Center for Compassionate Care, part of the Family Hospice Program, and has more than 15 years of experience in caring for hospice patients. He is also a practicing internist and provides teaching rounds and inpatient hospitalist care for the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Miller is board-certified in internal medicine and in hospice and palliative care and earned a master's degree in clinical ethics from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the medical editor of the Bulletin, the monthly journal of the Allegheny County Medical Society, and in that capacity writes a quarterly column on issues related to the practice of medicine and the delivery of health care.
Jenn Morgan, LSW, is one of the social workers for the Supportive and Palliative Care program at UPMC Presbyterian. Her primary role is to work collaboratively with the palliative care team to complete bio-psycho-social assessments, participate in family meetings, and provide support to patients and families while in the hospital. Her role largely includes patient and family support, transitioning patients into the community with palliative care & hospice services, and assisting families in navigating financial systems to obtain needed services.
Jenn earned her bachelor’s degree at Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, IN. She earned her master’s in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the palliative care team, Jenn was social worker on a medicine unit at UPMC and worked as a social worker in a hospital in Washington, DC.
Eva B. Reitschuler-Cross, MD, graduated from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, in 2004 and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge, MA in 2010. She then served as a chief resident at Mount Auburn Hospital and completed a fellowship in medical education. After completing a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in 2011, she joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2012.
Dr. Reitschuler-Cross currently serves as an attending physician on the inpatient consultation service and has an outpatient clinic at the Hillman Cancer Center. She has a passion for medical education and will be serving as the subspecialty education coordinator for the GME Residency Program.
Jane Schell MD, graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and trained in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins. She completed dual fellowships in Nephrology and Hospice & Palliative Medicine at Duke University in 2012. She also earned a Masters in Health Science in 2011 and completed a qualitative study examining communication between nephrologists and elderly patients with kidney disease. She joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics and Renal-Electrolyte Division at the University of Pittsburgh in 2012 as an Assistant Professor of Medicine.
She serves as an attending physician on the inpatient consultation service for Palliative Medicine and Nephrology. She also attends a nephrology clinic which addresses palliative care issues for nephrology patients. Dr. Schell’s academic and educational interests focus on communication within the doctor-patient relationship.
Yael Schenker, MD, MAS, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and the Section of Palliative and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Schenker received her AB magna cum laude from Harvard University. She completed medical school, residency and fellowship training at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was also awarded a masters degree in clinical research.
Dr. Schenker joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 2010. Her research focuses on surrogate decision making, the integration and marketing of palliative care services for patients with serious illness, and doctor-patient communication across linguistic and cultural barriers. She is also clinically active in palliative care and primary care.
Rafael Sciullo, MA, LCSW, MS, is president of Family Hospice and Palliative Care. He is chair of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and has been active on the board of directors of this organization since 1997. He also serves on the board of the Canadian Palliative Care Association. Mr. Sciullo's interest in the cultural aspects of dying led to his living and working with Hispanic and Navajo communities. He has an MA from the University of San Diego, an MSW from the University of Connecticut, and an MS in health care management from the Hartford Graduate Center.
Felicia Scrivens is the Administrative Coordinator for Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Services of UPMC Shadyside.
Kate Seymour, PA-C, is the physician assistant for the Supportive and Palliative Care Program at UPMC Shadyside. Her primary role is to see patients on the palliative care consult service and patients on the hospice benefit in the hospital. Her role includes symptom management, particularly in pain control, and support for patients and their families. Ms. Seymour earned her bachelor's degree from Penn State University and completed the master's degree program in physician assistant studies at Chatham University. Before she joined the palliative care service, she worked with hematology-oncology patients.
Doris Shields, MSW, LCSW, BCD, ACM, is a clinical crisis coordinator with the Medical Ethics and Supportive Care Services of UPMC Shadyside. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh – School of Social Work in 1993 with a Master’s Degree in Social Work. Prior to her role in Medical Ethics, she was the social work supervisor at UPMC Shadyside. Her inpatient clinical responsibilities include clinical crisis intervention; coordination and mediation of family meetings with patients, their families and the multidisciplinary team; close monitoring of complex family issues; and supportive care.
Lori Spahr joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics as an administrative assistant. She earned an associate's degree in information processing from the Monroeville School of Business and has over 17 years of administrative experience. She recently worked for West Penn Allegheny Health System as an executive assistant in the finance area.
Brenda Sperski joined the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics as an administrative assistant. She has over 20 years of administrative support experience. She recently worked in the Department of Faculty Records at the University of Pittsburgh.
Anoo Tamber, MD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Tamber completed her medical training in Canada. She graduated from the University of Alberta School of Medicine and went on to complete a residency in family medicine at the University of British Columbia. She is certified with the American Board of Family Medicine. Dr. Tamber completed a fellowship in palliative medicine at the University of Toronto.
Before moving to the United States, she worked as a palliative care consultant with oncology patients at Princess Margaret Hospital and the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Center in Toronto, Canada. Her primary academic area of interest is the use of technology in learning. For five years she was involved in the facilitation and implementation of a web-based course in end-of-life care for family physicians. She has presented workshops on the unique opportunities the internet and technology can offer teachers and learners. She currently provides inpatient consults at Shadyside Hospital as well as staffs a palliative care outpatient clinic at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. She is also involved in palliative care education to medical students at the University of Pittsburgh.
Winifred G. Teuteberg, MD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, and she is the medical director of the Palliative Care Service at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. She also started an outpatient palliative care clinic for patients with advanced heart and lung disease and sees outpatients in this setting.
Dr. Teuteberg graduated from the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University. She completed a palliative care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and completed an internal medicine residency and medical ethics fellowship at the University of Chicago. She has lectured and authored book chapters on the topic of palliative care and heart and lung disease.
Barbara Usher, RN, PhD, CS, is a clinical nurse specialist for the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics and for Professional Support Services within the UPMC Presbyterian campus. She is board-certified as a clinical specialist in advanced practice palliative care management and also as a clinical nurse specialist in gerontological nursing. She is responsible for providing palliative care to patients and families; for creating and maintaining relationships between palliative care and the medical intensive care unit (ICU), the critical care unit, and the cardiothoracic ICU; for providing end-of-life education to newly hired nurses; and for supporting the central administration in the creation of policies, procedures, and order sets related to palliative and end-of-life care.
Dr. Usher earned a diploma in nursing at Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg and a bachelor's degree in nursing from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She then received a master's degree in nursing and a PhD in nursing management from Pennsylvania State University. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where her research focused on caregiver compassion fatigue at the end of life. Dr. Usher has multiple publications on end-of-life care at the systems level and at the patient and family level of care.
Richard L. Weinberg, MD, is Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics. He graduated from the University of Michigan and completed residency at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.
He practiced general internal medicine at Penn Group/HealthAmerica in Pittsburgh and served as the head of internal medicine. He was then Chief, General Internal Medicine at Western Pennsylvania Hospital. In 2005, He moved to Fairfax, Virginia to work full time in hospice and palliative care. He served as faculty for the National Institute of Health-Capital Caring Palliative Medicine fellowship.
Dr. Weinberg currently provides supportive and palliative care consultations at UPMC Presbyterian, UPMC Shadyside and Magee Womens hospitals. He works with the UPMC