Palliative Medicine & Hospice
Interdisciplinary Fellowship Training Program

The Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Division of Internal Medicine at the Oregon Health & Science University offer an ACGME-accredited, truly interdisciplinary, one year clinical fellowship in Palliative Medicine and Hospice located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Fellows are involved in the care of veteran, academic and community-based patients. They learn consultative skills, provide direct management of care in an inpatient hospice unit, work in a home hospice setting, participate in multi-disciplinary outpatient clinics, a long-term care setting, and have focused training experiences in pain clinic, chaplaincy, radiation oncology, pediatrics, and critical care. A one month elective is also offered. A scholarly project is expected and mentored. Working within interdisciplinary teams is an integral part of this fellowship. Fellows have opportunities throughout the year to teach medical students, interns, residents and interdisciplinary team members

This training program prepares physicians to competently work in both palliative care and hospice settings. Graduates work as inpatient/outpatient palliative medicine consultants, hospice medical directors, provide administrative/clinical leadership on inpatient units, and have started new programs/services across the state, in addition to providing faculty support to various training sites. Graduates are eligible to sit for the Hospice & Palliative Medicine board exam.

Two physician fellows are chosen each year, as part of our interdisciplinary program, which also involves nurse, social work, psychology and chaplain trainees. Physician candidates who have successfully completed an Internal Medicine or Family Medicine residency are welcome to apply. Mid-career physicians with this training are also encouraged to apply. Physicians from other co-sponsoring boards will be considered based on their particular prior training and work experiences.

Faculty includes physicians from Internal Medicine, Critical Care, Anesthesiology, Geriatric Medicine, Pediatrics, Radiation Oncology and Psychiatry. Interdisciplinary faculty includes nurse practitioners, chaplains, social workers, clinical nurse specialists, psychologists, and clinical pharmacists. The faculty provides mentoring to develop strong clinical and teaching skills. Some faculty members are also grant-funded researchers. The core faculty is board-certified in Hospice & Palliative Medicine.

Multiple conferences are available to the fellows with protected time to participate. Weekly interdisciplinary didactic sessions focused on topics pertinent to clinical and scholarly aspects of hospice and palliative medicine are provided. Attendance at rotation-specific conferences is expected. A monthly city-wide palliative care conference is offered on a rotating basis at training sites across Portland. A collaborative state-wide palliative care conference is held each year. Fellows are encouraged to attend grand rounds, system-based morbidity & mortality conferences and special lectures as rotations allow.

Interested candidates can apply through the ERAS system or directly to the program by contacting the Program Coordinator. Applications begin in January for entrance in July of the following academic year.

Contact Information

Danni Reche
Program Coordinator
danni.reche@va.gov
503-273-5015

Nora Tobin MD
Fellowship Director
nora.tobin@va.gov
503-220-8262 (1-55576)