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About AAHPM

2012 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President Timothy E. Quill, MD FAAHPM
Executive Vice President Porter Storey, MD FACP FAAHPM
President Elect Amy P. Abernethy, MD FACP FAAHPM
Treasurer Solomon Liao, MD FAAHPM
Secretary Jean Kutner, MD MSPH FAAHPM
Past President Ronald J. Crossno, MD FAAFP FAAHPM

Directors at Large

F. Amos Bailey, MD FACP FAAHPM
Bruce H. Chamberlain, MD FACP FAAHPM
Daniel Fischberg, MD PHD
Sarah Friebert, MD FAAP FAAHPM
Tara C. Friedman, MD FAAHPM
Susan LeGrand, MD FACP FAAHPM
John Manfredonia, DO FACOFP FAAHPM
Christine Ritchie, MD MSPH FACP FAAHPM
Christian T. Sinclair, MD FAAHPM
Jay Thomas, MD PhD
Charles V. Wellman, MD FAAHPM
Joanne Wolfe, MD MPH

Executive Committee

quill

President
Timothy E. Quill, MD FAAHPM
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 

Dr. Quill's initial experience was as a hospice medical director for a home hospice program in Rochester, NY from 1981 to 1988 while also practicing primary care internal medicine. In the 1990s, he co-directed a community hospital-based palliative care consult service that included a dedicated inpatient unit. In 2002, Dr. Quill moved to the University of Rochester Medical Center and started a Palliative Care Program that has subsequently expanded to include inpatient, outpatient and home consultations, a dedicated 12 bed inpatient unit, required palliative care educational experiences for medical students and medical residents, a clinical fellowship program, and a multidisciplinary research program.

AAHPM activities:
•    Lead editor of fourth and fifth editions of the Palliative Care Primer
•    Chair,  Ethics Committee, 2006 to 2007
•    Member, Ethics Special Interest Group
•    Member, Board of Directors, 2008 to present
•    Treasurer, Board of Directors (2010-2011)
•    President-Elect, Board of Directors, (2011-2012)
•    Presenter at the Annual Assembly  and  several sessions  at the Board Review Course

Disclosures: Death with Dignity National Center Board Member; Society of General Internal Med Member; American College of Physicians Member

storey

Executive Vice President
Porter Storey, MD FACP FAAHPM
Boulder, CO

Dr. Storey began specialty training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 1982 at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at St. Christopher’s Hospice, London, with Dr. Cicely Saunders. A full-time hospice physician since 1983, he continues to do hospital and clinic consults in palliative care for the Colorado Permanente Medical Group. Storey currently serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. In 2004 he was named Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He has made many national and international presentations on hospice care, pain management, and symptom control. He earned his MD at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Storey serves as the executive vice president of AAHPM.

Disclosures: Hospice of Boulderand Broomfield County; Ethics Committee Member
abernethy

President Elect
Amy P. Abernethy, MD FACP FAAHPM

Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Dr. Abernethy is a practicing clinical oncologist and palliative medicine specialist at Duke University Medical Center, and also directs a research program targeting patients’ palliative needs and focusing on symptoms, quality of life, and psychosocial care. As Principal Investigator, she has conducted randomized trials of health services delivery models for palliative care, cancer pain interventions, and dyspnea treatments (e.g., morphine, oxygen). She also works closely with an Australian palliative care research team, community hospice research programs in the United States, and national efforts (e.g., palliative care data systems).

AAHPM activities:
•    Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of PC-FACS
•    Elected to the Board of Directors in 2009 Presenter at several Annual Assemblies
•    Chair of the Publication and Product Assessment Task Force and Clinical Education Committee

Disclosures: Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer; Chair, Quality of Life Study Group; National Comprehensive Cancer Network; Member of the Fatigue NCCN Guidelines Panel, Member Pain Guidelines Cmte; NHPCO;Member, Research Committee; American Society of Clinical Oncology; Member, Health Plan Policy Review Advisory Group; Member, Clinical Practice Guidelines Committee   

liao

Treasurer
Solomon Liao, MD FAAHPM
University of CA Irvine Medical Center
Orange, CA

Dr. Liao has practiced hospice and palliative medicine for more than a decade and been a hospice medical director for most of that time. He serves as director of palliative care services at the University of CA Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Liao is also an American Physician Editor for the Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA and the co-editor for the Palliative Review Series in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, and from 2006 to 2010 was a palliative medicine representative on the USMLE step II test writing committee.

AAHPM activities:
•    Director at Large, Board of Directors, 2007 to present
•    Member, Work Force Capacity Task Force, 2010 to present
•    Member, Clinical Education Committee, 2009 to present
•    Member, Awards Committee, 2009 to present
•    Member, Products and Publication Task Force, 2008 to 2009
•    Member, Education Committee, 2002 to 2007
•    Chair, Planning Committee, AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly, 2007
•    Chair, Planning Committee, AAHPM Update and Review Course, 2004 and 2005
•    Presentations at Annual Assemblies, medical director and current concepts courses Co-editor of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Practice Assessment & Self Study (HPM-PASS), 2009-2010
•    Member of the editorial board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2008-present

Disclosures: American Geriatric Society; Ethics Committee Member; U.S. Attorney General’s Office Consultant

kutner

Secretary
Jean Kutner, MD MSPH FAAHPM

University of Colorado Denver HSC
Denver, CO

Dr. Kutner’s entire professional career as a clinician, educator and researcher has been focused on hospice and palliative medicine. She was attending physician and medical director at Hospice of St. John in Lakewood, Colorado from 1995 – 2003. She served as founding director and attending physician, Palliative Care Consult Service at University of Colorado Hospital  and received its “Pioneer Award” in 2009. She has been actively involved in student, resident, fellow, faculty and community hospice and palliative medicine educational activities since 1996, and developed the first University of Colorado internal medicine resident hospice and palliative medicine elective in 1997. Dr. Kutner established and directed the Population-based Palliative Care Research Network (PoPCRN), a research network of hospice/palliative care organizations (primarily hospices) (www.uchsc.edu/popcrn) She is the recipient of National Institutes on Aging “Academic Career Leadership Award” (K07) to increase palliative care research capacity (2009 – 2013).

AAHPM activities:
•    Research Task Force (2002)
•    Annual Assembly Steering Committee (2004, 2006)
•    Annual Assembly Program Chair (2005)
•    Council Chair, College of Palliative Care (2005 – 2009)
•    Chair, Membership and Communities Strategic Coordinating Committee (2008 – Present)
•    Abstract, precourse and workshop presenter at Annual Assembly (2002-2008)

Disclosures: Center for Improving Value in Health Care Palliative Care Task Force Chair; Foundation for Informed Medical Medical Editor; Decision Making Journal of Hospital Medicine Deputy Editor; Life Quality Institute Board of Directors NHPCO, Member, Research Committee Soc of General Internal Medicine Secretary-Elect, Council

crossno

Past President
Ronald J. Crossno, MD FAAFP FAAHPM 
Gentiva Hospice Division
Rockdale, TX
 

Starting as a part-time medical director for a small (census <30) community-based non-profit hospice in 1993, Dr. Crossno has helped a rural program grow multiple times over. He now works full-time helping direct one of the nation’s largest hospice providers, though a significant portion of his time still involves direct patient care at that same hospice program. As a co-founder and past-president of the Texas Academy of Palliative Medicine, and in other venues, Dr. Crossno has been very involved with efforts to advocate, promote and educate on hospice and palliative medicine related topics.

AAHPM activities:
•    President, Board of Directors, 2011-2012
•    Treasurer, Board of Directors, 2008-2009
•    Director-at-Large, Board of Directors, 2006-2008
•    Alternate Delegate to the American Medical Association,2006-2010
•    Member, Public Policy Committee,(2006-present; Chair,2006-2007
•    PC-FACS Associate Editor, 2005-present
•    Co-Chair, Rural Special Interest Group steering committee, 2005-present
•    Co-Chair, Long-Term Care Special Interest Group steering committee, 2006-2007
•    Member, Hospice-Based Physician Education Task Force, 2006
•    Member, Education Committee, 2004-2006
•    Member, Hospice Medical Director Course Planning Committee, 2005
•    Presented on a variety of topics at annual and other meetings since 2003

Disclosures: Employed as National Medical Director of Gentiva Hospice Division; Spouse serves as Exec. Director (volunteer) of Texas Academy of Palliative Medicine; Speaker’s Bureau for American Medical Director Association’s Institute for Long Term Care; TX Academy of Palliative Medicine Board Member; Education Cmte Chair; Public Policy Committee Member TX Medical Directors Assoc Board Member NHPCO Member, Public Policy Committee American Medical Directors Assoc Member, Ethics Committee Texas Pain Advocacy & Board MemberInformation Network

Directors at Large

bailey

F. Amos Bailey, MD FACP FAAHPM
Birmingham VA Medical Center
Birmingham, AL

Amos Bailey has been working in Hospice and Palliative Medicine since 1989. Although trained as a Medical Oncologist, he has practiced Palliative Care full time for the last 9 years. He was founder and director of the Balm of Gilead Project, the first Palliative Care inpatient unit in Alabama. He is now the founder/director of the Safe Harbor Palliative Care Unit at the VAMC and is one of the original faculty members of the Palliative Medicine section at UAB. He has developed and taught the Palliative Care curriculum for medical students, residents and fellows over the last 10 years.

AAHPM activities:
•    Chair, Planning Committee. 2006 Annual Assembly
•    ABHPM Committee to Write Board Exam Questions for Palliative Care Certification Exam 2001-2006
•    Presenter at the 2004-2006Annual Assemblies

Disclosures: EPEC Project – Veterans, Co-editor
chamberlain

Bruce H. Chamberlain, MD FACP FAAHPM
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
Salt Lake City, UT

While working as an internist, Dr. Chamberlain developed an interest in hospice and became a medical director 1998. He later accepted a full-time position as the Chief Medical Officer with VistaCare, a position he held for five years. He is currently a hospitalist, allowing him to apply palliative principles formally and informally on a daily basis. He is also a part-time hospice medical director and provides consulting services in clinical and administrative medical director functions. Recently, he has been a featured speaker on end-of-life topics in Missouri, Idaho, Michigan, Arizona, and Utah, including an NHPCO webinar on billing in 2007.

AAHPM activities:
•    Member,  Continuing Education Committee 2003-2007; served as chair, 2004-2005
•    Member of Steering Committee for  Annual Assembly, 2004
•    Co-Creator and Course Director,e Hospice Medical Director Course, 2006, 2007
•    Co-Course Director, Current Concepts in Hospice and Palliate Medicine Course, 2004
•    Member, Board of Directors,  2007-present Chair, Education and Training Strategic Coordinating Committee, 2008
•    Co-author:  Billing and Coding column for quarterly newsletter, AAHPM Bulletin
•    Regular speaker at the Medical Director and Current Concepts courses

Disclosures: Speaker's Bureau for Pfizer

Fischberg

Daniel Fischberg, MD PhD

Dr. Fischberg is medical director of the Pain & Palliative Care Department at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, HI, and an associate clinical professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine at The John A. Burns School of Medicine, also in Honolulu. Since completing palliative medicine fellowship training at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2000, Dr. Fischberg has worked full-time as a palliative medicine physician, first at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and, since 2004, at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.  Over the last 10 years, his professional activities have centered on the care of patients in the hospital, office, hospice and home settings, teaching, research, legislative advocacy, and public outreach.

AAHPM activities:
•    Member, 2000–present
•    Well over a dozen presentation at the Annual Assembly 2000–Present
•    Developed and presented/co-presented State of the Science Plenary at Annual Assembly, 2003–2008
•    Annual Assembly Scientific Committee, 2008–2010
•    Annual Assembly Program Chair, 2009 and 2010
•    Chair, Education & Training Strateguc Coordinating Committ, 2010–present
•   Associate Editor, PC-FACS, 2005-present
•   Reviewer, Journal of Palliative Medicine and Journal of Pain & Symptom Management

friebert

Sarah Friebert, MD FAAP FAAHPM
Akron Children's Hospital
Akron, OH

Over 10 years ago, Dr. Friebert began as Pediatric Medical Director for Hospice of the Western Reserve, where she has continued to serve. She created and directs the Haslinger Pediatric Palliative Care Division at Akron Children’s Hospital where she directs the fellowship program, co-chairs the ethics committee, and participates on the steering committee for NEOUCOM’s Office of Palliative Care. She serves as Consulting Pediatric Palliative Care Physician and on the ChiPPS steering committee for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. As founder and chair of the Ohio Pediatric Palliative and End-of-Life care network, she has  been leading a state-wide effort to improve education, research, access, clinical excellence and advocacy/legislative change for children across the state; they also hosted a national pediatric palliative care conference in 2007.

AAHPM activities:
•    Member of Fellowship Directors’ Forum, 2006-present
•    Member of Pediatric Special Interest Group
•    Recipient, College of Palliative Care Mentorship Award
•    Presenter at numerous Annual Assemblies
•    Presenter at Fellowship Directors’ Forum, 2008
•    Reviewer, UNIPAC 8 (Pediatric Self-Study module), 1st edition

Disclosures: NHPCO, Consulting Pediatric Medical Director; AAP, Steering Committee, HPM Section; Journal Pediatric Hem/Onc Reviewer; CAPC Director, Pediatric PCLC Ohio Pediatric Palliative & EOL Chair, Founder Care Network Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Org Member CA Hospice & Palliative Care Board Member Coalition The Gathering Place Advisory Committee American Society of Pediatric Member Hematology/Oncology Natl Pediatric Palliative Care & Chair Hospice Collaboration

Tara_Friedman

Tara C. Friedman, MD FAAHPM

Dr. Friedman is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine. At the completion of her fellowship, Dr. Friedman began working as the full time medical director of a growing urban hospice program. For 10 years she provided oversight to the hospice’s clinical care, developed best practices, taught and mentored colleagues, served on the program’s management team, and provided bedside care to hospice patients in a variety of settings. For the past 3 years, she has served as the medical director of a palliative care program which has grown to include a home care-based palliative care partnership, and hospital-based consultative services in five community hospitals and one academic tertiary care center. In 2011 she served as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine.

AAHPM activities:
•    Member, 2000—present
•    Five well-attended highly-rated presentations at the last six AAHPM annual assemblies
•    Member, Editorial Board, AAHPM Quarterly, 2006–present
•    Products and Publications Task Force, 2008
•    Nominating Committee, 2009
•    Medical Director Credentialing Committee, 2010–present

legrand

Susan LeGrand, MD FACP FAAHPM
Cleaveland Clinic
Cleaveland, OH During her initial 10 years of private practice oncology Dr. LeGrand was medical director and then a board member of the community hospice. With her move to the Cleveland Clinic,she has spent the majority of her time in the practice of Palliative Medicine and to a lesser degree hospice. She was Medical Director of Hospice of the Cleveland Clinic for the first five years of her employment and continues to manage hospice patients. The majority of her practice now is spent on the inpatient palliative medicine unit, inpatient consults and in outpatient clinic.

AAHPM activities:
•    External Awareness Taskforce (2008)
•    Nominating Committee (2007-08)
•    Chair, CME Committee (2007-08)
•    Alternate Delegate to AMA (2002-06)Member Legislative and Regulatory Committee (2002-03)
•    Co-Chair Education Committee (2002-03)
•    Chair Fellowship Directors Forum (2002-03)
•    Participant: Education Task Force (2001)
•    Organized Fellowship Directors Forum (2001)
•    Chair Program Directors Workgroup to develop standards for Palliative Medicine Fellowship Programs (2000-02) 
•    Numerous presentations at the annual meetings and the Update in Hospice and Palliative Medicine course

Disclosures: None.

manfredonia

John Manfredonia, DO FACOFP FAAHPM
Odyssey HealthCare
Tucson, AZ

Dr. Manfredonia began his hospice career as a part-time medical director in 1999.  He is currently a full-time medical director and continues to care for patients in both in the home and inpatient settings. For the last four years he has assisted in the development and moderated the Palliative Medicine Symposium at the American Osteopathic Association’s Annual Convention.  He is an EPEC Program Director and Trainer.  Dr. Manfredonia has been very involved in the education of physicians, nurses and the general public and has spoken on Hospice and Palliative care topics at the state and national levels.

AAHPM activities
•    Chair,  Hospice Medical Director Course (2008 – Present)
•    Presenter, Hospice Medical Director Course and  Current Concepts: Update and Review Course
•    Associate Editor PC-FACS (2005-present)
•    Member,   Education & Training Strategic Coordinating Committee (2008 – Present)
•    Member, Annual Assembly Planning Committees (2007)

Disclosures: Tucson Osteopathic Medical Foundation Board Trustee; Arizona Osteopathic Medical Association, Speaker of the House; American Osteopathic Association Delegate; AOA Council on Palliative Care Issues Committee Member

ritchie

Christine Ritchie, MD MSPH FACP
University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
Birmingham, AL

Dr. Ritchie served as Medical Director of the Louisville VA Medical Center (VAMC) Hospice. She subsequently started the palliative care and geriatrics program at the Louisville VAMC and worked with the VA nationally to foster palliative care development throughout all VA Medical Centers. Since 2004, she has directed the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Palliative Care and the Palliative and Supportive Care Section of the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She directs UAB’s Palliative Care Leadership Center, and seeks to improve care for individuals with advanced illness through clinical care, education and research.

AAHPM activities:
•    Senior Advisor, Academic Palliative Medicine Task Force
•    Chair, Annual Assembly, 2006 
•    Member, Planning Committee and Scientific Review Committee
•    Presenter at Annual Assemblies

Disclosures: National Comprehensive Cancer Network Member, Palliative Care Guidelines
National Quality Forum/NPP; End-of-Life Workgroup VA Member, HSR&D Scientific Merit Review Cmte CAPC Palliative Care Leadership Center

sinclair

Christian T. Sinclair, MD FAAHPM
Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care
Kansas City, MO

Dr. Sinclair  has worked at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care since 2004, first as Associate Medical Director – Home Visits, Inpatient Hospice, IDT and currently as Site Director. From 2006-08, he was Fellowship Program Director. He was Medical Director of the palliative care team at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, KS and a member of the Ethics Committee at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. Dr. Sinclair is co-editor of Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog and has made multiple local TV, radio and newspaper appearances on end-of-life issues.

AAHPM activities:
• Founding Chair and advisor, Professionals-In-Training SIG (PIT-SIG) - 2004
• Founder, Annual Assembly Professionals-in-Training Case Conference, 2004-Present
• Presenter, Annual Assembly, Fellowship Director’s Meeting, Current Concepts Review Course
• Member, Annual Assembly Steering Committee - 2005
• Member, Fellowship Directors SIG - 2005-Present
• Member, External Awareness Task Force – 2008-Present
• Reviewer, HPM FAST Questions - 2008

Disclosures: NHPCO Prognosis Resource Task Force

thomas

Jay Thomas, MD PhD
City of Hope National Medical Center
Duarte, CA

At San Diego Hospice, Dr. Thomas cared for patients both at home and in an inpatient unit, taught medical students, residents, oncology and palliative medicine fellows, and health care professionals, as well as conducted clinical research in pain, subcutaneous delivery of fluids and opioids, and opioid-induced constipation. He has hospital-based palliative medicine experience as an attending at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center and currently as the chair of a department at City of Hope that combines palliative physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and chaplains under one academic roof. He has written on palliative medicine topics including pain, dyspnea, ascites, and constipation.

AAHPM activities:
•    Chair or member, Annual Meeting scientific subcommittee (2008, 2009)
•    Chair or presenter, Current Concepts: Update and Review Course (2004-2008)
•    Presenter, Medical Director’s Course (2006, 2007)
•    Reviewer, UNIPAC series (2007)
•    Poster or Oral presentations at the Annual Assembly (2004, 2006, 2007)
•    Paper Award, Annual Assembly (2006)

Disclosures: National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Fatigue and Palliative Care Panel Member; Population-based Palliative Care Research Network, Advisory Committee Member

Chuck_Wellman

Charles V. Wellman, MD FAAHPM

Dr. Wellman is the chief medical officer of the Hospice of the Western Reserve and a clinical assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University, both in Cleveland, OH. He began his hospice experience as a volunteer medical director and board member with Hospice of the Western Reserve in 1983. During the next 16 years, Dr. Wellman helped to develop a hospital-based in-patient hospice unit and a free-standing hospice facility. Since 1999 he has been the full-time medical director, helping to grow the hospice daily census from 400 to 1,200 patients. He served on the NHPCO ethics committee and presented at AAHPM and NHPCO conferences on both clinical and ethical topics. Dr. Wellman is an active member of the National Hospice Work Group medical directors’ forum, which has offered a fellowship program in hospice and palliative medicine for the past 2 years.

AAHPM activities:
•    Chair of the Leadership and Workforce Strategic Coordinating Committee, 2010–2011
•    Co-chair of the Business Practice Task Force of the Leadership and Workforce Committee, 2008–2010
•    AAHPM board Director at Large, 2009–2010
•    AAHPM annual meeting presentations on dementia program development, palliative care of renal patients, physicians compensation, and neurotoxicants
•    Recipient of the 2011 Josefina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award

Wolfe2

Joanne Wolfe, MD MPH

Dr. Wolfe is the division chief of pediatric palliative care of the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in Boston, MA; director of pediatric palliative care at the Children’s Hospital Boston; and associate professor of pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School in Boston. In 1997, Dr. Wolfe lead the development of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at Children’s Hospital Boston and the DFCI, now one of the longest standing and largest pediatric palliative care programs nationally. In 1999, she became a Faculty Scholar with PDIA and through this opportunity gained insight into the fundamentals of hospice and palliative care along the life spectrum. From 2002 to 2008, she was the pediatric medical director for a local hospice and came to more fully understand the needs of home-based patients and their families.

AAHPM activities:
•    Member since 2002
•    Chair, Research and Quality Strategic Coordinating Committee, 2010–present
•    Member, Pediatric Special Interest Group, 2002–present
•    Member, Research Special Interest Group, 2010–present
•    Associate Editor, PC-FACS, 2005–present
•    Chair, Research Committee, 2009
•    Member, Annual Assembly Planning Committee, 2005–2008
•    Concurrent sessions, abstract presentations, and pre-course workshops at four AAHPM Annual Assemblies



 


 

AAHPM Past Presidents

2011: Ronald J. Crossno, MD FAAFP FAAHPM
2010: R. Sean Morrison, MD FAAHPM
2009: Gail Austin Cooney, MD FAAHPM
2008: Russell K. Portenoy, MD
2007: J. Cameron Muir, MD FAAHPM
2006: Ron S. Schonwetter, MD FAAHPM
2005: Robert M. Arnold, MD
2004: James Cleary, MD
2003: David M. McGrew, MD FAAHPM
2002: Martha Twaddle, MD FAAHPM FACP
2001: John W. Finn, MD FAAHPM
2000: Carla S. Alexander, MD FAAHPM
1999: Michael H. Levy, MD PhD
1998: Walter Forman, MD FAAHPM
1997: Ira Byock, MD FAAHPM
1996: Laurel Herbst, MD
1995: Charles Sasser, MD FAAHPM FACD
1994: Gerald Holman, MD FRCP(C) FAAP
1993: Jack Starr, MD
1992: Marty Skinner, MD
1991: J. Andrew Billings, MD
1990: Wilbur Flannery, MD
1989: Robert Miller, MD

2010 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

President
R. Sean Morrison, MD FAAHPM
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
New York, NY

Dr. Morrison has dedicated his career to improving care for seriously ill patients by conducting research, teaching, and practicing palliative care. His activities are focused on developing a stronger evidence base for palliative care; assisting hospice and palliative medicine physicians in translating research into their clinical practice, and teaching and developing a new generation of palliative care clinicians.  He is an active clinician and cares for seriously ill patients in the hospital and at home through the palliative care program at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York an in partnership with 5 New York hospice programs.

AAHPM activities:   

·         Member, Research Task Force  

·         President, Board of Directors, 2010-2011

·         Secretary, Board of Directors, , 2005-2006 

·         Member, Board of Directors, 2004-2005, 2006  

·         Presented both educational and research findings at the annual meeting from 2000-present  

·         Directs The National Palliative Care Palliative Care Research Center, which co-sponsors with the Academy the annual Kathleen M. Foley Research Retreat and Symposium 

 

Executive Vice President
Porter Storey, MD FACP FAAHPM
Boulder, CO

Dr. Storey began specialty training in Hospice and Palliative Medicine in 1982 at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and at St. Christopher’s Hospice, London, with Dr. Cicely Saunders. A full-time hospice physician since 1983, he continues to do hospital and clinic consults in palliative care for the Colorado Permanente Medical Group. Storey currently serves on the board of directors for the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. In 2004 he was named Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He has made many national and international presentations on hospice care, pain management, and symptom control. He earned his MD at Stanford University School of Medicine.

AAHPM activities: 

 

 

President Elect
Ronald J. Crossno, MD CMD FAAHPM
Odyssey Healthcare
Rockdale, TX  

Starting as a part-time medical director for a small (census <30) community-based non-profit hospice in 1993, Dr. Crossno has helped a rural program grow multiple times over. He now works full-time helping direct one of the nation’s largest hospice providers, though a significant portion of his time still involves direct patient care at that same hospice program. As a co-founder and past-president of the Texas Academy of Palliative Medicine, and in other venues, Dr. Crossno has been very involved with efforts to advocate, promote and educate on hospice and palliative medicine related topics.

AAHPM activities:

·         President, Board of Directors, 2011-2012

·         Treasurer, Board of Directors, 2008-2009

·         Director-at-Large, Board of Directors, 2006-2008

·         Alternate Delegate to the American Medical Association,2006-2010

·         Member, Public Policy Committee,(2006-present; Chair,2006-2007

·         PC-FACS Associate Editor, 2005-present

·         Co-Chair, Rural Special Interest Group steering committee, 2005-present

·         Co-Chair, Long-Term Care Special Interest Group steering committee, 2006-2007

·         Member, Hospice-Based Physician Education Task Force, 2006

·         Member, Education Committee, 2004-2006

·         Member, Hospice Medical Director Course Planning Committee, 2005

·         Presented on a variety of topics at annual and other meetings since 2003

 

Treasurer
Timothy E. Quill, MD FAAHPM
University of Rochester 
Rochester, NY  

Dr. Quill's initial experience was as a hospice medical director for a home hospice program in Rochester, NY from 1981 to 1988 while also practicing primary care internal medicine. In the 1990s, he co-directed a community hospital-based palliative care consult service that included a dedicated inpatient unit. In 2002, Dr. Quill moved to the University of Rochester Medical Center and started a Palliative Care Program that has subsequently expanded to include inpatient, outpatient and home consultations, a dedicated 12 bed inpatient unit, required palliative care educational experiences for medical students and medical residents, a clinical fellowship program, and a multidisciplinary research program.

AAHPM activities:

·         Lead editor of fourth and fifth editions of the Palliative Care Primer

·         Chair,  Ethics Committee, 2006 to 2007

·         Member, Ethics Special Interest Group

·         Member, Board of Directors, 2008 to present

·         Treasurer, Board of Directors (2010-2011)

·         President-Elect, Board of Directors, (2011-2012)

·         Presenter at the Annual Assembly  and  several sessions  at the Board Review Course

 

Secretary
Kate W. Faulkner, MD FAAHPM
Boston PainCare Center
Waltham, MA

In 1993, Dr. Faulkner was interim hospice medical director for a friend on sabbatical. She loved the work, and never went back to her academic career in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology. Ever since, she has been a medical director or consultant/supervisor/teacher for other medical directors. Though working primarily in homecare, she has also been involved with hospital-based systems and free-standing inpatient units. Recently, she accepted her first purely palliative care position at the Boston PainCare Center. Dr. Faulkner has served on the Massachusetts Hospice and Palliative Care Federation board, the Hospice and Palliative Nursing Foundation board, and numerous committees for NHPCO, ChiPPS, and Children’s Hospice International.

AAHPM activities:

·         Secretary, Board of Directors, 2009 to present

·   

·         ·         ·         Involved in promoting and developing the Access Fund, aimed at broadening the financial base for the Academy

·         Member, Finance Committee.

·         ·         Member, Pediatric Special Interest Group

 

Past President
Gail Austin Cooney, MD FAAHPM
Hospice of Palm Beach County
 

Since 1997, Dr. Cooney has been the Chief Medical Office at Hospice of Palm Beach County, an independent, not-for-profit FL hospice. Her professional career has two focuses. First, she works to enhance patient access to end of life care by expanding the breadth of hospice services to include a wide range of palliative interventions, not usually provided by hospice programs. Her success is measured by the growth of the hospice census from 200 patients per day in 1997 to 1100 patients today. Second, she is committed to increasing the role of physicians in community-based hospice and palliative medicine. Today, she leadsSince 1997, Dr. Cooney has been the Chief Medical Office at Hospice of Palm Beach County, an independent, not-for-profit FL hospice. Her professional career has two focuses. First, she works to enhance patient access to end of life care by expanding the breadth of hospice services to include a wide range of palliative interventions, not usually provided by hospice programs. Her success is measured by the growth of the hospice census from 200 patients per day in 1997 to 1100 patients today. Second, she is committed to increasing the role of physicians in community-based hospice and palliative medicine. Today, she leads a medical staff of 30 full and part-time physicians who, in 2006, provided over 30,000 palliative medicine consultations to hospice and non-hospice patients, generating clinical revenue that supports continued expansion of physician services.

 

AAHPM Activities

·         President, Board of Directors, 2009-2010 

·         Elected to the Board of Directors in 2005  

·         Led a task force that created the “Physician Billing, Coding, and Reimbursement” guide for the members-only section of the AAHPM website 

·         Participated in the Geriatric Work Group for the AMA Physician Consortium for Quality Improvement and continue to serve as the AAHPM representative to the Consortium 

·         Speaker at several Annual Assemblies and at the “Current Concepts in Palliative Medicine” course 

 

Directors at Large

Amy P. Abernethy, MD FAAHPM
Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Dr. Abernethy is a practicing clinical oncologist and palliative medicine specialist at Duke University Medical Center, and also directs a research program targeting patients’ palliative needs and focusing on symptoms, quality of life, and psychosocial care. As Principal Investigator, she has conducted randomized trials of health services delivery models for palliative care, cancer pain interventions, and dyspnea treatments (e.g., morphine, oxygen). She also works closely with an Australian palliative care research team, community hospice research programs in the United States, and national efforts (e.g., palliative care data systems).

AAHPM activities:

·         Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of PC-FACS

·         Elected to the Board of Directors in 2009 Presenter at several Annual Assemblies

·         Chair of the Publication and Product Assessment Task Force and Clinical Education Committee

 

F. Amos Bailey, MD FACP FAAHPM
Birmingham VA Medical Center
Birmingham, AL
 

Amos Bailey has been working in Hospice and Palliative Medicine since 1989. Although trained as a Medical Oncologist, he has practiced Palliative Care full time for the last 9 years. He was founder and director of the Balm of Gilead Project, the first Palliative Care inpatient unit in Alabama. He is now the founder/director of the Safe Harbor Palliative Care Unit at the VAMC and is one of the original faculty members of the Palliative Medicine section at UAB. He has developed and taught the Palliative Care curriculum for medical students, residents and fellows over the last 10 years.

AAHPM activities: 

  • Chair, Planning Committee. 2006 Annual Assembly
  • ABHPM Committee to Write Board Exam Questions for Palliative Care Certification Exam 2001-2006
  • Presenter at the 2004-2006Annual Assemblies

 

Bruce H. Chamberlain, MD FACP FAAHPM
Palliative Care Consultations
Orem, UT
 

While working as an internist, Dr. Chamberlain developed an interest in hospice and became a medical director 1998. He later accepted a full-time position as the Chief Medical Officer with VistaCare, a position he held for five years. He is currently a hospitalist, allowing him to apply palliative principles formally and informally on a daily basis. He is also a part-time hospice medical director and provides consulting services in clinical and administrative medical director functions. Recently, he has been a featured speaker on end-of-life topics in Missouri, Idaho, Michigan, Arizona, and Utah, including an NHPCO webinar on billing in 2007.

AAHPM activities

·         Member,  Continuing Education Committee 2003-2007; served as chair, 2004-2005

·         Member of Steering Committee for  Annual Assembly, 2004

·         Co-Creator and Course Director,e Hospice Medical Director Course, 2006, 2007

·         Co-Course Director, Current Concepts in Hospice and Palliate Medicine Course, 2004

·         Member, Board of Directors,  2007-presentChair, Education and Training Strategic Coordinating Committee, 2008

·         Co-author:  Billing and Coding column for quarterly newsletter, AAHPM Bulletin

·         Regular speaker at the Medical Director and Current Concepts courses

 

Sarah Friebert, MD FAAP FAAHPM
Akron Children's Hospital
Akron, OH

Over 10 years ago, Dr. Friebert began as Pediatric Medical Director for Hospice of the Western Reserve, where she has continued to serve. She created and directs the Haslinger Pediatric Palliative Care Division at Akron Children’s Hospital where she directs the fellowship program, co-chairs the ethics committee, and participates on the steering committee for NEOUCOM’s Office of Palliative Care. She serves as Consulting Pediatric Palliative Care Physician and on the ChiPPS steering committee for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. As founder and chair of the Ohio Pediatric Palliative and End-of-Life care network, she has  been leading a state-wide effort to improve education, research, access, clinical excellence and advocacy/legislative change for children across the state; they also hosted a national pediatric palliative care conference in 2007.

AAHPM activities:

·         Member of Fellowship Directors’ Forum, 2006-present

·         Member of Pediatric Special Interest Group

·         Recipient, College of Palliative Care Mentorship Award

·         Presenter at numerous Annual Assemblies

·         Presenter at Fellowship Directors’ Forum, 2008

·         Reviewer, UNIPAC 8 (Pediatric Self-Study module), 1st edition

 

Jean Kutner, MD MSPH FAAHPM
University of Colorado Denver HSC
Denver, CO

Dr. Kutner’s entire professional career as a clinician, educator and researcher has been focused on hospice and palliative medicine. She was attending physician and medical director at Hospice of St. John in Lakewood, Colorado from 1995 – 2003. She served as founding director and attending physician, Palliative Care Consult Service at University of Colorado Hospital  and received its “Pioneer Award” in 2009. She has been actively involved in student, resident, fellow, faculty and community hospice and palliative medicine educational activities since 1996, and developed the first University of Colorado internal medicine resident hospice and palliative medicine elective in 1997. Dr. Kutner established and directed the Population-based Palliative Care Research Network (PoPCRN), a research network of hospice/palliative care organizations (primarily hospices) (www.uchsc.edu/popcrn ) She is the recipient of National Institutes on Aging “Academic Career Leadership Award” (K07) to increase palliative care research capacity (2009 – 2013). 

AAHPM activities:

 

·         Research Task Force (2002)

·         Annual Assembly Steering Committee (2004, 2006)

·         Annual Assembly Program Chair (2005)

·         Council Chair, College of Palliative Care (2005 – 2009)

·         Chair, Membership and Communities Strategic Coordinating Committee (2008 – Present)

·         Abstract, precourse and workshop presenter at Annual Assembly (2002-2008) 

 

Solomon Liao, MD FAAHPM
University of CA Irvine Medical Center
Orange, CA

Dr. Liao has practiced hospice and palliative medicine for more than a decade and been a hospice medical director for most of that time. He serves as director of palliative care services at the University of CA Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Liao is also an American Physician Editor for the Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA and the co-editor for the Palliative Review Series in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, and from 2006 to 2010 was a palliative medicine representative on the USMLE step II test writing committee.

 

AAHPM activities:

  • Director at Large, Board of Directors, 2007 to present
  • Member, Work Force Capacity Task Force, 2010 to present
  • Member, Clinical Education Committee, 2009 to present
  • Member, Awards Committee, 2009 to present
  • Member, Products and Publication Task Force, 2008 to 2009
  • Member, Education Committee, 2002 to 2007
  • Chair, Planning Committee, AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly, 2007
  • Chair, Planning Committee, AAHPM Update and Review Course, 2004 and 2005
  • Presentations at Annual Assemblies, medical director and current concepts courses Co-editor of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Practice Assessment & Self Study (HPM-PASS), 2009-2010
  • Member of the editorial board of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2008-present

 

Kathleen McGrady, MD MA MS FAAHPM
Kaiser Permanente
Westminster, CO

 Dr. McGrady has worked in home hospice since 1984. She is a past director of Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s inpatient palliative care program, seeing 1200 patients/year- implemented throughout national Kaiser Permanente owned and contracted hospitals. She is a consultant for free-standing inpatient hospice unit, Exempla Lutheran Medical Center Colorado. Dr. McGrady is also an EPEC Trainer and active participant in hospice and palliative education, speaking nationally or in local communities, hospital or teaching institutions. She is a clinical researcher in palliative medicine with outpatient palliative care clinic study funded and in planning stages for 2009. She recently published “Impact of an Inpatient Palliative Care Team: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” Journal of Palliative Medicine, 2008; 11(2).

AAHPM activities:

·         Board Member since 2006 with committee work

·         Presentations, abstracts, and posters at Annual Assemblies

·         Presentations at Current Concepts Board Review Course

·         Presentations at Hospice Medical Directors Course

·         Reviewed UNIPAC 9, 3rd edition prior to publication and developed CME questions

John Manfredonia, DO FACOFP FAAHPM
Odyssey HealthCare
Tucson, AZ 

Dr. Manfredonia began his hospice career as a part-time medical director in 1999.  He is currently a full-time medical director and continues to care for patients in both in the home and inpatient settings. For the last four years he has assisted in the development and moderated the Palliative Medicine Symposium at the American Osteopathic Association’s Annual Convention.  He is an EPEC Program Director and Trainer.  Dr. Manfredonia has been very involved in the education of physicians, nurses and the general public and has spoken on Hospice and Palliative care topics at the state and national levels.

AAHPM activities

  • Chair,  Hospice Medical Director Course (2008 – Present)
  • Presenter, Hospice Medical Director Course and  Current Concepts: Update and Review Course

·         Associate Editor PC-FACS (2005-present)

·         Member,   Education & Training Strategic Coordinating Committee (2008 – Present)

·         Member, Annual Assembly Planning Committees (2007)

·         Member,  Osteopathic Special Interest Group (2007 – Present)

 

Jorge I. Ramirez, MD FAAHPM
VA Midwest Healthcare Network
Fort Meade, SD

Dr. Ramirez’s palliative medicine career began in 1984 when he was chosen to be Medical Director for Hospice of Martin in Stuart, FL. Since then, his passion for this field has grown and developed into a rewarding professional journey. He has practiced hospice and palliative medicine in several different settings, including community hospice programs, skilled nursing facilities, and most recently, in the VA. He values the opportunity he has had to teach palliative medicine at the local, state and national levels. His tenure as member of the Board of Directors of the Academy since 2005 has given a unique opportunity to actively participate in the national leadership of the specialty. 

AAHPM activities:

·         Board liaison,  Membership and Communities Strategic Coordinating Committee 2008

·         Member, Board of Directors, 2005-present

·         Member, Search Committee for Executive Vice President

·         Members, Search Committee for Chairperson of the College of Palliative Care (CPC) Council

·         Member, Education Committee, 2000-2003

Presented at several Annual Assemblies

Christine Ritchie, MD MSPH FACP
University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
Birmingham, AL

Dr. Ritchie served as Medical Director of the Louisville VA Medical Center (VAMC) Hospice. She subsequently started the palliative care and geriatrics program at the Louisville VAMC and worked with the VA nationally to foster palliative care development throughout all VA Medical Centers. Since 2004, she has directed the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Palliative Care and the Palliative and Supportive Care Section of the Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She directs UAB’s Palliative Care Leadership Center, and seeks to improve care for individuals with advanced illness through clinical care, education and research.

AAHPM Activities

·         Senior Advisor, Academic Palliative Medicine Task Force

·         Chair, Annual Assembly, 2006  

·         Member, Planning Committee and Scientific Review Committee

·         Presenter at Annual Assemblies

Christian T. Sinclair, MD FAAHPM
Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care
Kansas City, MO

Dr. Sinclair  has worked at Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care since 2004, first as Associate Medical Director – Home Visits, Inpatient Hospice, IDT and currently as Site Director. From 2006-08, he was Fellowship Program Director. He was Medical Director of the palliative care team at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, KS and a member of the Ethics Committee at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. Dr. Sinclair is co-editor of Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog and has made multiple local TV, radio and newspaper appearances on end-of-life issues.

AAHPM activities

• Founding Chair and advisor, Professionals-In-Training SIG (PIT-SIG) - 2004

• Founder, Annual Assembly Professionals-in-Training Case Conference, 2004-Present

• Presenter, Annual Assembly, Fellowship Director’s Meeting, Current Concepts Review Course

• Member, Annual Assembly Steering Committee - 2005

• Member, Fellowship Directors SIG - 2005-Present

• Member, External Awareness Task Force – 2008-Present

• Reviewer, HPM FAST Questions - 2008

 

Jay Thomas, MD PhD
City of Hope National Medical Center
Duarte, CA

At San Diego Hospice, Dr. Thomas cared for patients both at home and in an inpatient unit, taught medical students, residents, oncology and palliative medicine fellows, and health care professionals, as well as conducted clinical research in pain, subcutaneous delivery of fluids and opioids, and opioid-induced constipation. He has hospital-based palliative medicine experience as an attending at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center and currently as the chair of a department at City of Hope that combines palliative physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and chaplains under one academic roof. He has written on palliative medicine topics including pain, dyspnea, ascites, and constipation.

AAHPM activities:

  • Chair or member, Annual Meeting scientific subcommittee (2008, 2009)
  • Chair or presenter, Current Concepts: Update and Review Course (2004-2008)
  • Presenter, Medical Director’s Course (2006, 2007)
  • Reviewer, UNIPAC series (2007)
  • Poster or Oral presentations at the Annual Assembly (2004, 2006, 2007)
  • Paper Award, Annual Assembly(2006)