Feb 20, 2024 by Isaac Bohannon, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Feb 13, 2024 by Erin Salvador, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Feb 6, 2024 by Lawren Love, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Jan 30, 2024 by Jeff Sung, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Jan 23, 2024 by Paul Ammatelli, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Jan 16, 2024 by Rae Allain, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Jan 9, 2024 by Dan Khodabakhsh, MD

Sometimes it seems that the palliative cases that went particularly well are those that I have some of the most trouble remembering.

Jan 2, 2024 by Kelly Arora, PhD

Are you thinking about how you might enhance your skills and knowledge in 2024? Join thousands of people around the world who have already learned the basics of palliative care from faculty in the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine’s Master of Science in Palliative Care program. You can access our short videos (under 10 minutes each) for free on the Coursera education platform.

Dec 19, 2023 by Isaac Bohannon, MD

An article review, MSPC Fellowship Journal Club

Dec 12, 2023 by Melissa C Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

Our palliative care team recently had the honor of consulting with the family of Joseph** (the facts of the story have been changed for privacy), a 42-year-old man who identified as a member of the Navajo Nation and had been living in western Arizona for the past several years.

Dec 5, 2023 by Harri Brackett, RN, MS, CNS, ACHPN

In 2003, I was an oncology nurse educator just finishing my master’s degree in adult nursing. I had been an oncology nurse for the 14 years and had already felt very comfortable taking care of patients with serious illness. I enjoyed the hustle, bustle and stress of a busy unit; the hanging of multiple IV medications and the intricacy of knowing just what medication should be given when so as to avoid or combat distressing symptoms, the near oncologic emergency and even the occasional near-code. How morbid, I know.

Nov 28, 2023 by Melissa C Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

Richard Alpert grew up in Boston, Massachusetts to a prominent Jewish family of privilege that valued education and prestige. Although a brilliant man, he also was known to be a bit verbose; he was captivating to others even as a child. The Alpert’s owned a 300-acre farm in New Hampshire in a community not unlike where I grew up about 30 minutes away.

Nov 21, 2023 by Rae Allain, MD

Only twelve percent of pediatric patients die with hospice support (1,2) and nearly a third of pediatric deaths are related to chronic complex conditions (3). The majority of these patients are enrolled in Medicaid due to disability status or severity of disease(3).

Nov 14, 2023 by Rae Allain, MD

Planning for an elective surgical procedure provides opportunity to review patients’ wishes regarding not only the upcoming surgery, but overall goals of care. The procedure itself is a “touchpoint” with the healthcare system and includes a formal informed consent discussion, including how the surgery or resultant complications may adversely affect a patient’s life.

Nov 7, 2023 by Darcy Campbell, AGNP-C

Linda and I maintained what I would classify as a Christmas Card correspondence following her retirement 10 years ago. We would exchange cards and updates on our lives. So I was surprised when I received a text from her in June sharing that she was in “my hospital,” that she thought she might be making some hard decisions in the days ahead and asking if I could come see her.

Oct 31, 2023 by Melissa C Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

We have reached the time of year where some believe that the veil between the living and the dead is more permeable. In many cultures, including those who identify as Latinx/Chicano/Hispanic, death is not a black and white ending but a transition to another world or form.

Oct 24, 2023 by Melissa C Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

Recently a good friend presented me with “Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow” by Elizabeth Lesser for my birthday. I’ve been savoring it, reading one chapter a day, and reflecting on how Lesser’s stories apply to the significant losses and hardships we have both been through in the past year.

Oct 17, 2023 by Beth Patterson, MA, Certified Palliative Care Chaplain

Good deathing stories keep us going in the palliative care work---going deeper, ringing more true, honoring our pain, our patients’ pain, the world’s pain. And sometimes, that sorrow tastes like freshly canned apricots.

Oct 10, 2023 by Melissa C Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

July 12, 2023 at 6:05 am. The time my grandfather left his body and transitioned to death and whatever else is out there. But the story starts a month before…

Oct 3, 2023 by Natalie deQuillfeldt, MD, MA

During my first week in Palliative Care, my team of four female providers was consulted to meet with the family of Gayle, an elderly woman of African descent with dementia who had broken her hip during a fall, requiring surgery. We planned to discuss how her dementia was affecting her quality of life and may impact her recovery. Almost instinctively, as I thought of what a tragic situation this was and what a mournful conversation it would be, the words of Jane Austen entered my mind - “Prepare yourself for something very dreadful.” I could not have been more wrong.