This compact volume offers a brief overview of pediatric palliative care and emerging ways to expand and provide palliative care to children.
Pediatric palliative care is a new specialty that is rapidly expanding across the United States. The specialty has impact throughout the lifespan of children with serious illness and supports patients, families, and those who care for children.
Authored by clinicians with expertise and extensive experience in palliative care and hospice medicine, the topics covered in the volume's five chapters include:
- Introduction and Definitions
- Pediatric Palliative Care Involvement in Specific Disciplines
- Pediatric Palliative Care at End of Life
- Accessing Pediatric Palliative Care
- The Future of Pediatric Palliative Care
Specialized Pediatric Palliative Care is essential reading for pediatric healthcare professionals with short, easy-to-read contents applicable to actual practice. Other providers and professionals working with children and families with serious illness also might find the book of interest.
Claudia Delgado-Corcoran, MD, MPH is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah and works in the Divisions of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and Palliative Care at Primary Children´s Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT. She is originally from Bogota, Colombia, where she attended medical school. She received her Master of Public Health from the University of South Carolina. She completed Pediatric Residency and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine fellowship at the University of Florida and did a year-long training in Cardiac Intensive Care at Arkansas Children's Hospital. She has been working in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit at Primary Children's since 2009 and completed a fellowship in hospice and palliative care medicine in 2020 at the University of Utah. She is board-certified in Pediatrics, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, and Palliative Care and Hospice Medicine. Her research work focuses on increasing the involvement of palliative care in children with heart disease. She also champions grieving sessions after the death of every child in the Pediatric and Cardiac ICUs at Primary Children's Hospital.
Ryann Bierer, MD is an Assistant Professor in Neonatology and Pediatric Palliative Care at the University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospital. She provides neonatology services in neonatal intensive care units at the University of Utah Hospital, Primary Children's Hospital, and Intermountain Medical Center. She also completed a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Utah and provides pediatric palliative care at Primary Children's Hospital.
Lauren Cramer Finnerty, MSW, LICSW is a clinical social worker specializing in pediatric palliative care with the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) at Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She recently began developing her new role as the dedicated ambulatory pediatric palliative care social worker for PACT. She holds undergraduate degrees in Social Work and Psychology from Providence College. She completed the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship after earning her Master of Social Work with a Certificate of Graduate Studies in Childhood and Adolescent Trauma from Rhode Island College.
Katie Gradick, MD, MHS received her undergraduate degree in Applied Social Ethics from Harvard College, her medical degree from the University of Wisconsin, and Master of Health Science from Johns Hopkins. She completed her internship at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children and her Pediatrics residency and Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the University of Utah, where she is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Palliative Care. She serves as the University of Utah Site Director for the Global Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship in collaboration with St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and the Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica in Guatemala.
Brandy Harman, BA has worked for the University of Utah Department of Pediatrics since 2010. She is an administrator in the Office of the Department Chair and spends much of her time coaching faculty on writing and editing their manuscripts. She is interested in equitable access and treatment in healthcare and mental health support for professional and family caregivers.
Mark Harousseau, MD received his medical degree from New York Medical College. He then completed residency in Pediatrics at the University of Utah and served a fourth year as chief resident. He completed his fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Utah and continued on as faculty in the Divisions of Pediatric Palliative Care and Pediatric Hospital Medicine. His clinical interests include palliative education in pediatric residency, pediatric hospice care, and effective communication around serious illness.
Brooke Johnston, MD graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA and completed residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah, remaining for an additional year of chief residency. She was a fellow in Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Akron Children's Hospital. She worked in pediatric hospice and palliative care at the University of South Carolina Upstate. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and serves as a Faculty House Mentor for medical students at the University of Utah. Her interests include medical communication, behavioral health components of medical experiences, and efforts to address social determinants of health.
Sydney Kronaizl, MS, CCLS is a Certified Child Life Specialist in the neonatal intensive care unit at Primary Children's Hospital where she provides patient and family support for critically ill infants. She also worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator for the palliative care team. Her interests include children's understanding of death and developmentally appropriate support.
Dominic Moore, MD is the Senior Medical Director of Hospice and Palliative Care for the Intermountain Healthcare Canyons Region. He also serves as the Division Chief of Pediatric Palliative Care and Associate Program Director for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Utah. He is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and has focused his academic work on responsible prescribing, self-care for providers, and the role of spirituality in healthcare interactions. He is focused on improving the health and life experience of communities through advance care planning.
Benjamin Moresco, MD serves as the medical director for the palliative care team at Primary Children's Hospital. He received his medical degree from the University of Washington and completed his pediatric residency followed by chief residency at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio/Baylor College of Medicine. He did his fellowship in Pediatric Hospice and Palliative Care at the Harvard Interprofessional Fellowship Program. His interests include comprehensive care for children with special healthcare needs, bereavement, telehealth, rural medicine, and complex pain/symptom management for children with serious illness.
Betsy Ostrander, MD is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Neurology at the University of Utah. She attended Loyola Strich School of Medicine and completed her pediatric residency at RUSH Children's Hospital. She is the director of the Fetal and Neonatal Neurology Program and the Neuro NICU consult service, providing neurology consultation for critically ill infants. She leads the Early Diagnosis for Cerebral Palsy effort and has taught the neurological exam and early cerebral palsy detection tools in the US and several other countries. Her clinical focus is infants with neurological disorders and those at high-risk for neurodevelopmental impairments.
Paige Patterson, MD is an Assistant Professor at the University of Utah in the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Departments, with specialty training in hospice and palliative medicine. She serves as the medical director for two pediatric-focused hospices in the Salt Lake valley and is on the Utah Compassionate Use Board to approve use of medical cannabis for patients under the age of 21. She is co-director of the Utah Certificate of Palliative Education course for members of the healthcare community. She practices mostly outpatient palliative care and is dedicated to improving home-based palliative care.
Holly Spraker-Perlman, MD, MS, FAAHPM, ABOIM is an Associate Professor in the Divisions of Pediatric Palliative Care and Pediatric Hematology-Oncology at the University of Utah/Primary Children's Hospital. She received her medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and completed a Pediatrics residency at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Her fellowship training for both Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Hospice & Palliative Medicine were completed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. She is also board certified in Integrative Medicine and trained in pediatric massage and acupuncture. Her research interests include honest prognostic communication in pediatric oncology and integrative symptom management for children undergoing cancer therapy.
Amanda Thompson, PhD serves as Chief of Pediatric Psychology and Director of Pediatric Programs at Life with Cancer, the psychosocial program of the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA. She completed her PhD in Clinical-Developmental Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, her predoctoral residency at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, DE, and her post-doctoral fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. Her interests include pediatric psycho-oncology, palliative and end-of-life care, grief and loss, program development, interdisciplinary team collaboration, and mentorship.
Antonia Vitela-Elliott, PhD, CCLS is a certified child life specialist on the pediatric palliative care team at Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT. She specializes in providing bereavement support to patients and their families, as well as normalizing the hospital environment so that children have opportunities to feel normal. Her research interests are in legacy building and patient advocacy.
