The Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program began in July 2012. Physicians with training in Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, and from other specialties who are interested in fellowship training in hospice and palliative medicine may be considered for matriculation in this program. The fellowship is currently a one-year clinical fellowship.

The Program Director of the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is Dr. John Halphen. For more information about the program, you may contact our Fellowship Coordinator, Sherri Musslewhite. Her contact information is below.

John Halphen, JD, MD

Director, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine

Shih-Ning Liaw, MD, FAAP

Associate Fellowship Director
Division of Community and General Pediatrics

Jeanette Ferrer, DO

Associate Fellowship Director
Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine

Sherri Musslewhite

Fellowship Coordinator
6431 Fannin St., MSB 5.111
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 500-6295 Phone
(713) 500-0706 Fax

Sherri.L.Musslewhite@uth.tmc.edu

To learn more about all of our faculty, please click here.

 

Clinical Activities

The fellow works with interdisciplinary teams to learn to deliver specialty level Hospice and Palliative Medicine care to our patients. The fellow is required to spend at least a month on each of the following: Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center on palliative consults adult; Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center on palliative consults pediatric; and Harris County Hospital District LBJ General Hospital on palliative and geriatric consults- adult. The fellow is required to spend two months on a rotation combining Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital inpatient consults, the Palliative Care/Hospice Unit at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Hospice. These requirements ensure that the fellow has a minimum of four months in the inpatient setting both the consultation team and a dedicated palliative care/hospice unit. These requirements also ensure that the fellow has clinical experience in the community through care in patients' homes and in long-term care facilities. In their two months with MHH-SW Hospital and PCHU & Hospice, the fellow provides hospice home visits and experience managing hospice patients in long-term care settings.

The fellow may, as desired by the fellow and approved by the Program Director, spend more time on the rotations in which s(he) wants more experience. This allows the fellow to arrange to have more pediatric patient exposure, more adult patient exposure, more home hospice exposure, more long-term care exposure, or more palliative care/hospice unit exposure. The Program Director ensures that the ACGME Program Requirements for amount of clinical experience of each type and location remain satisfied.

Throughout the year, the fellow attends dedicated ambulatory palliative clinics for 1/2 day per week. There are dedicated pallitive clinics in the UT Physician's Cancer Center and the LBJ Hospital clinics. Each fellow spends at least six months of 1/2 day every other week in each of these clinics during the fellowship year. This is to assure that each fellow has experience taking care of patients from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic circumstances. If the fellow desires, the other 1/2 day every other week may be at one of these clinics or at the dedicated pediatric palliative UT Physician's clinic (chosen clinic). Clinic assignments are each for at least six months to ensure a longitudinal experience.

A wide variety of approved electives are available through the Medical School and its training sites. These include ethics consults, geriatric medicine, pediatrics, HIV clinic, pulmonery, cariology, and neurology clinics.

Didactic Teaching Conferences

The fellow participates in regularly scheduled Journal Club, research seminars, core didactics and board review, grand rounds, and quality improvement case conferences.

Application Process

The Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship program at UTHealth uses the ERAS system. Materials may also be sent upon request and returned directly from the applicant. We are currently accepting applications. We encourage residents from accredited Internal Medicine or Family Practice Residency programs in the United States to apply. UTH does NOT accept H1B visas.

Required Materials:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. 3 Letters of Reference (from your current colleagues if you are already in practice, and at least one letter from your residency program director)
3. Personal Statement
4. Medical School Diploma (translated if needed)
5. Medical School Transcript (translated if needed)
6. USMLE Step Scores (Steps 1 & 2 required, 3 can be scheduled/planned; Can interview with photocopies, but will need original copy sent from USMLE before being offered a position)
7. ECFMG Certificate (if applicable)
8. Visa Status / Citizenship Status
9. Application Form
10. Recent Professional Photo

Please send these materials electronically and / or by mail to:

Sherri Musslewhite
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program
UTHealth Medical School- Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
6431 Fannin St., MSB 5.111
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 500-6295 Phone
(713) 500-0706 Fax

Sherri.L.Musslewhite@uth.tmc.edu

Pay and Benefits

Fellows’ pay and benefits are controlled by the Office of Graduate Medical Education at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The Geriatric Fellows will typically receive pay as a PGY-4 level trainee. Please click on the following link to learn more about leave, benefits and pay.   http://med.uth.tmc.edu/administration/gme/benifits.html