Pitt Palliative Research Center (PaRC)

Changing paradigms of studies in kidney diseases - PubMed Recognizing kidney disease as a major global health issue, the International Society of Nephrology convened a 2-day international, multi-stakeholder meeting to develop a road map for advancing…

Dr. Jane Schell is a co-author on a new roadmap from the International Society of Nephrology for advancing clinical research in nephrology. Read the results from the working group:

Dr. Kelly Harris was senior author on this qualitative study by a Pitt Med student on terminology used by clinicians in fetal cardiology consultations with family caregivers. Read more: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41007075/

What's on your mind? A qualitative analysis of concerns and self-management strategies among older adults with advanced cancer - PubMed Originally registered with ClinicalTrials.gov on March 7th, 2016, ID# NCT02712229.

This secondary analysis of a primary palliative care trial, co-authored by several PaRC faculty members, examines the concerns and self-management strategies of older patients with advanced cancer. Read what they found: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40782786/

Engage: Protocol of a randomized controlled trial of a telehealth-delivered psychosocial intervention to decrease symptom interference in patients with advanced cancer - PubMed This trial is one of the first to evaluate the efficacy of an ACT-based intervention for patients with stage IV cancers, yielding important information about ways to reduce suffering in this patient…

ICYMI: Dr. Justin Yu is a co-author on this protocol paper describing the ENGAGE RCT, an intervention which applies Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for stage IV cancer patients in underserved areas. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40834926/

Pharmacist-led Opioid Deprescribing Pilot Clinic within Outpatient Palliative Care - PubMed Opioid deprescribing clinic was time-intensive and patients required close monitoring for implementation of patient-specific opioid deprescribing plans.

An opioid de-prescribing pilot led by a palliative care pharmacist was safe and effective at reducing doses of opioids for patients in remission from cancer but time-intensive. Read about the program: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40749899/

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Nov;70(5):503-513.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.07.033. Epub 2025 Aug 11. Assessing Perceptions of Positive and Negative Content within Goals of Care Notes, Gina M Piscitello, Emiliano Garcia-Fuentes, Robert M Arnold, Jane Schell, Katrina E Hauschildt.

What sorts of comments in EHR notes do patients and healthcare providers consider to be "negative"? Dr. Gina Piscitello found disagreement in a recent study, available from @JPSMjournal.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40803567/

Justin A Yu K23 Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Congratulations to Dr. Justin Yu, who was recently awarded a K23 award to pursue a pilot study of an intervention for caregivers of children with medical complexity. Read more: www.palcare.pitt.edu/dr-justin-yu...

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2025 Aug;70(2):e129-e136. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.04.007. Epub 2025 Apr 17. Characterizing the Documentation of Time-Limited Trials in Goals of Care Notes Gina M Piscitello, Robert M Arnold, Jane O Schell, Jacqueline M Kruser

Dr. Gina Piscitello writes on the lack of documentation of time-limited trials in goals of care notes. Read more from the study team in @jpsmjournal.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40252856/

Dr. Jane Schell Awarded Fellowship – Palliative Research Center Palliative Research Center

Palliative Care Section Chief Jane Schell has been accepted to the Institute on Healthcare Improvement Fellowship program through a scholarship from the John A. Hartford Foundation. Her project will develop & measure a palliative dialysis intervention.

Congratulations to Rene Claxton, MD, MS, recipient of the UPMC Physician Excellence Award – Senior Physician Excellence in Clinical Care! 🌟 She's celebrated for her exceptional patient care, groundbreaking educational innovation, & deep commitment to uplifting colleagues & trainees.

Assessing the Content of Goals of Care Documentation for Hospitalized Patients With Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias. Gina Piscitello, Jennifer Lingler, Katherine Ramos, Yael Schenker, Robert M Arnold, Jane Schell.

Dr. Gina Piscitello is first author on a study of goals of care documentation for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Co-authors include other PaRC faculty. Read more from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40318049/

Dr. Christine Kistler is senior author on this study characterizing advance care planning directives documented in a large primary care network. Read the findings: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Advance Care Planning: How Can We Improve Access and Uptake? | Podcast | ASCO Publications Dr. Chino welcomes Dr. Yael Schenker to discuss a new clinical trial testing the best way of engaging patients with Advance Care Planning (ACP), the process of understanding personal values, life…

Dr. Yael Schenker was interviewed about advance care planning on the AJCO Oncology Practice Podcast. Listen here: ascopubs.org/do/advance-c...

Read a summary of the study's results: www.mcknights.com/news/goals-o...

Journal of Pain & Symptom Management (@jpsmjournal.bsky.social) Advancing #PalliativeCare, #Hospice and Symptom Research Official Journal of AAHPM and NHCPO #hapc #hpm #hapcResearch Acct led by @ctsinclair.bsky.social Website: jpsmjournal.com

Dr. Gina Piscitello found in a new study that goals of care conversations held with the specialty palliative care service, and those held within the first 48 hours of admission, were associated with significant positive patient outcomes. Read the results: jpsmjournal.bsky.social

Course Development and Integration of a Skills-Based Assessment for an Elective Palliative Care Course - PubMed Integrating skills-based assessment was an objective way to assess the impact of our palliative care elective course on student pharmacist skill development. The course improved student attitudes and…

Faculty in the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy and UPMC's Palliative and Supportive Institute recently developed and piloted a palliative care elective course for pharmacy students. Read about the course:

Current and former PaRC faculty and staff are coauthors on this paper which proposes a three-phase model of cancer pain. Read more in Cancer: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40931912/

Mentorship matters.

@pittpalcare.bsky.social Director Dr. Yael Schenker has been recognized with the Hillman Cancer Center's Outstanding Research Mentor Award for her exceptional support and guidance of the next generation of researchers. We are so proud to celebrate her leadership and impact! 👏

GITalk: Communication Skills Training for Gastroenterology Fellows Improves Self-Assessed Preparedness for Serious Illness Conversations - PubMed <span><b><i>Background:</i></b> Despite caring for patients with serious illnesses, gastroenterology (GI) fellows rarely receive training in serious illness conversations (SIC).…

Dr. Amar Bansal is senior author on a study in JPM; participants in a communications training for Gastro-Intestinal fellows reported self-assessed improvement in readiness to have conversations about serious illness. Read more:

Dr. Schenker receiving the award

Congratulations to Dr. Yael Schenker, who was the recipient of the Hillman Outstanding Research Mentor Award at the 2025 UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Scientific Retreat! www.palcare.pitt.edu/dr-yael-sche...

Factors Associated With the Delay of Chemotherapy Initiation Among Patients Receiving Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer - PubMed Targeted interventions to alleviate symptom distress and enhance interpersonal support may facilitate timely chemotherapy initiation.

Dr. Margaret Rosenzweig is senior author on this descriptive study looking at correlates of delay among patients receiving chemotherapy for breast cancer; correlates included social support and symptom distress. Read more, in Cancer Nursing:

Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Intensive Care Unit Consultation - PubMed The intensive care unit (ICU) is distinct in population, culture, and palliative care needs. Critical illness and ICU stays can be extremely distressing for patients and their loved ones. Providing…

PaRC and Pitt School of Nursing's Dr. Jennifer Seaman writes in the Journal of Palliative Medicine about things HPC clinicians should know about consulting with the ICU.

Patient Perceptions of a Population Health Management Program to Improve Kidney Care: Optimizing care in CKD - PubMed Patients with CKD who are managed by their PCP were supportive of remote comanagement by a nephrologist. Patients perceive some aspects of CKD health education to be beneficial; however, more…

Faculty member & Section of Palliative Care Chief Jane Schell is a co-author on this study of an intervention which evaluated co-management of Chronic Kidney Disease by nephrologists and PCPs. Read more:

Dr. Gina Piscitello spoke with @medpagetoday.com about a review she led that found a lack of uniformity surrounding US laws guiding clinician decision-making for initiating or maintaining life-sustaining treatment.

Read it here: www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...

Consumer Wearable Device Measures of Gait Cadence and Activity Fragmentation as Predictors of Survival Among Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy - PubMed Activity fragmentation and gait cadence metrics derived from consumer wearable devices were associated with overall survival in patients receiving chemotherapy for any solid tumor. These associations…

Dr. @carissalow.bsky.social is first author on a new study which suggests information captured by consumer-grade wearable devices may be able to predict survival among cancer patients. Read more:

Interpersonal Processes of Care Disparities, Symptom Distress, and Chemotherapy Dosing in Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer - PubMed Symptom distress during ESBC chemotherapy must be communicated via patient-provider interaction. Patients' perceptions of discrimination and bias may inhibit this process. This interaction requires…

Dr. Margaret Rosenzweig is senior author on a new study of communication between patients and providers, symptom distress, and chemotherapy adherence. Read what the study team found:

Assessing Pediatric Resident Needs in Grief and Bereavement Education - PubMed Pediatric residents indicate a strong desire for structured curricula on grief and bereavement focusing on resources that exist for families, approaches to grieving as a healthcare professional, and…

ICYMI: From Childrens Hospital of PGH Palliative Care, with co-author Dr. Kelly Harris (PaRC Faculty) comes a study assessing the need for bereavement education among pediatric residents. #MedEd

Pharmacist-led Opioid Deprescribing Pilot Clinic within Outpatient Palliative Care - PubMed Opioid deprescribing clinic was time-intensive and patients required close monitoring for implementation of patient-specific opioid deprescribing plans.

Dr. Yael Schenker was senior author on this article about a pharmacist-led deprescribing clinic for cancer patients in remission, which was piloted at UPMC. Read the results in @jpsmjournal.bsky.social:

Development and Acceptability of a Rebuilding Osteo Strength With Exercise (ROSE) Program for Women With Breast Cancer - PubMed The study was retrospectively registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registration number ChiCTR2300072208.

Dr. Teresa Hagan Thomas is senior author on this study, which developed and tested the feasibility and acceptability of a bone health management intervention for women with breast cancer. Read more:

Patient Perceptions of the Palliative Recovery Engagement Program (P-REP) Clinic, a Novel Outpatient Model for Patients With Advanced Illness and Substance Misuse Angeline Zhou, Megan Hamm, Jessica S Merlin, Julie W Childers American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care

This past spring, former Gleitsman Scholar Angeline Zhou published a qualitative, exploratory study investigating the experiences of patients at the Palliative Recovery Engagement Program, a clinic for patients with palliative care needs & substance use disorder. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40156553/