Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Director's message

Thank you for your interest in our program! Since 2002, we have focused on training physicians to lead the way in compassionate, patient-centered palliative care. Whether you are coming straight from residency or are an experienced physician seeking new career opportunities, we welcome your unique perspective. We believe that a diverse group of fellows enriches our learning environment and improves the care we provide to seriously ill patients and their families.

As you explore our webpage, I want to highlight the specific elements that make our program special:

  • A Comprehensive Training Experience: Our curriculum is designed to be well-rounded and interprofessional. You will train across a variety of clinical settings throughout the Portland metro area, supported by a rigorous educational framework.
  • Prioritizing Your Well-being: We know that to care for others, you must first be supported yourself. Your wellness is our top priority. We integrate well-being into the fabric of our fellowship.
  • Your Career After OHSU: Our graduates are ready for diverse careers as clinicians and educators in any setting. Whether you aspire to work in a community hospice, a large academic hospital, or an ambulatory clinic, you will have the skills to provide high-quality care and teach others how to do the same.

We are excited for you to learn more about our unique community. Please reach out to us directly with any questions!

Katie H. Stowers, D.O. 

Program Director, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

About our program and program aims

The mission of the OHSU Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is to develop compassionate physician leaders dedicated to advancing interprofessional, patient-centered, and culturally humble care for individuals with serious illness. We achieve this by:

  • Fostering an inclusive, diverse environment that prioritizes fellow well-being and professional growth.
  • Training physicians from diverse backgrounds to excel as clinicians and educators, elevating palliative care across the entire healthcare continuum.
  • Cultivating expert communication skills to deliver interdisciplinary, family-centered care with cultural humility.
  • Preparing future leaders to succeed in any practice setting, from community clinics to academic medicine.

Interested in learning more?

Join the Program Director and Associate Program Director for a virtual information session.

Sessions will cover:

  • Our Program Mission and Values
  • Program Highlights, including the clinical and educational curriculum
  • Living in Portland and Working at OHSU
  • Q&A: Breakout rooms to learn more about our adult and pediatric tracks

Register for:

Contact us

Our program offerings

Adult Track

This one-year track provides high-volume, interdisciplinary clinical training designed for physicians interested in caring for seriously ill adults. The program prepares two fellows per year for expert practice in diverse clinical settings.

The adult track 13-Block clinical experience includes:

  • 0.5 block of Orientation and Palliative Care Foundations Series
  • 4 blocks of Inpatient Palliative Care Consults at OHSU
  • 2.5 blocks of Palliative Care at Portland VA Medical Center
  • 2.5 blocks of Home Hospice with Legacy Hospice
  • 1 block of Long Term Care at Portland VA Community Living Center
  • 1 block of Pediatric Palliative Care at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
  • 1 block of Selective Experience which could include home-based palliative care, inpatient hospice, and sub-specialty ambulatory clinics
  • 0.5 block of Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service at OHSU

In addition to the rotations above, adult track fellows participate in longitudinal palliative care continuity clinic at OHSU Knight Cancer Center and Portland VA Medical Center.

Pediatric Track

Offered jointly by OHSU and Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, this one-year clinical track is designed for physicians interested in caring for seriously ill children. The curriculum offers a balance between adult and pediatric clinical experiences and accepts one fellow per year.

The pediatric track 13-Block clinical experience includes:

  • 0.5 block of Orientation and Palliative Care Foundations Series
  • 6.5 blocks of Pediatric Palliative Care at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
  • 1 block of Palliative Care at Portland VA Medical Center
  • 2 blocks of Home Hospice with Legacy Hospice
  • 1 block of Inpatient Palliative Care Consults at OHSU
  • 1 block of Long-Term Care at Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children
  • 1 block of Selective Experience within the Children’s Hospital

Integrated Family Medicine AIRE Track

This innovative pathway integrates HPM fellowship training into the final two years of OHSU’s four-year Family Medicine residency in Portland through the ACGME’s Advancing Innovation in Residency Education (AIRE) initiative. Designed for residents committed to the intersection of primary care and palliative medicine, this track leads to board eligibility in both specialties. We accept one trainee per year outside of the NRMP Match.

The integrated track clinical experience includes 13-blocks over 24 months:

  • 0.5 block of Orientation and Palliative Care Foundations Series
  • 4 blocks of Inpatient Palliative Care Consults at OHSU
  • 2 blocks of Palliative Care at Portland VA Medical Center
  • 2 blocks of Home Hospice with Legacy Hospice
  • 1 block of Pediatric Palliative Care at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital
  • 0.5 block of Selective Experience which could include home-based palliative care, inpatient hospice, and sub-specialty ambulatory clinics
  • 0.5 block of Inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service at OHSU
  • 2.5 blocks of Family Medicine continuity clinics with a focus on serious illness symptom management and advance care planning

In addition to the rotations above, integrated track fellows participate in longitudinal palliative care continuity clinic at OHSU Knight Cancer Center.

Educational curriculum

Our fellowship provides a robust, evidence-based, and interprofessional curriculum designed to complement clinical training. Highlights of our curriculum include:

Academic Half-Day: Protected time one half-day per week to participate in core educational experiences and scholarship

Core Educational Experiences

  • Foundations Series (July–August): An intensive didactic series teaching the key clinical skills and core knowledge required to be "practice-ready" for fellowship.
  • Weekly Didactics (September–June): Faculty-led lectures and interactive workshops covering the biopsychosocial and spiritual dimensions of care.
  • Palliative Care Grand Rounds: A weekly interprofessional forum involving palliative care clinicians from OHSU, Doernbecher, and the VA, featuring fellow-led Journal Clubs and educational presentations.

Specialized Mini-Curricula

Our longitudinal "threads" cultivate expertise in five critical domains, weaving learning across didactic and clinical experiences:

  • Communication: 20+ hours of powered by VitalTalk simulation and skills practice.
  • JEDI: Focused training on equity, inclusion, and cultural humility.
  • Psychosocial & Spiritual: Training in holistic, patient-centered support.
  • Clinician Educator: Mentorship in teaching, leadership, and adult learning theory.
  • Health System Science: Mentored Quality Improvement (QI) projects and systems-based practice.

Scholarship

Fellows complete a mentored scholarly or QI project during their 12-month training. Results are presented at Grand Rounds, and fellows are encouraged to submit their work to national conferences like the AAHPM Annual Assembly.

Application process

We seek well-rounded physicians who demonstrate:

  • Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
  • High levels of integrity, motivation, and cultural awareness.
  • A spirit of curiosity and a dedication to lifelong learning.

Eligibility & Prerequisites

We welcome applicants who have completed (or are on track to complete) ACGME or AOA-accredited training in any of the ten co-sponsoring boards. We also welcome applicants who have completed at least three clinical years in Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, Radiology, or Surgery.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through ERAS. To ensure a sustainable and equitable process, all interviews are conducted virtually from mid-August through October.

  • Three (3) letters are required. One must be from your residency Program Director (or current supervisor if >5 years in practice). A letter from a palliative care clinician is encouraged.
  • Applications completed by the date ERAS applications become available to programs are prioritized. Review of applications submitted after this date are subject to interview availability.
  • We participate in the NRMP Medical Specialties Matching Program.

Helpful links