Program Highlights
- Combines faculty from two academic palliative care programs: Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s Palliative Care Service and the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine.
- Unique palliative care consultation models, including a dedicated ICU team and early intervention consult team.
- Inpatient Calvary hospice program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
- Individual fellow mentoring and research opportunities, e.g. with the Center for Research on End-of-Life Care and the Translational Research Institute on Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL) both at Weill Cornell Medicine, and the Center for Improving Care for Vulnerable Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions (CIPC) at Columbia School of Nursing.
- Outpatient palliative care clinic integrated within an NCI Cancer Center.
- Exposure to diverse patient populations and cultures in two different neighborhoods in Manhattan (Washington Heights and the Upper East Side).
- Geriatrics training and diactics built into the curriculum.
- GeriTalk Communication Training for HPM fellows provided by trained faculty.
- Monthly narrative medicine sessions through the Department of Medical Humanities and Ethics at Columbia University and the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine.
- Clinical ethics training with the Chair of the Ethics Committee at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
- Integration of contemplative care practices and meditation.
- AAHPM membership, conference fees, as well as travel and accommodation expenses to attend the annual AAHPM Assembly Meeting is covered.
About the Program
The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program began training leaders in palliative care at the Columbia campus in 2011. Since then the program has grown to a class size of four fellows, and in 2019 was joined by Cornell to form a bi-campus program that incorporates the strengths and opportunities of both medical centers.
NewYork-Presbyterian, with its diversity of clinical training programs, patient populations, faculty, and staff, provides an ideal setting for interdisciplinary interaction and collaboration, as our fellows work with the varied clinical providers who participate in the care of seriously ill adults and children. The year-long fellowship encompasses the medical, psychosocial, ethical, existential, and spiritual domains of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. We are committed to the excellence and preparation of future leaders in the clinical, educational, policy, and research areas of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Clinical Training
Rotation site
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical center (CUIMC): Inpatient Consultation, Clinical Ethics, Continuity Clinic
- NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center (WCMC): Inpatient Consultation, Continuity Clinic
- NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital (MSCH): Pediatric palliative care
- Mary Manning Walsh: Long-term care rotation/hospice
- VNS Hospice: Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx
The fellows have an active clinical role at all sites during the fellowship while working with the respective Interdisciplinary Teams (IDTs). One month of elective time is offered to pursue research or additional clinical training. Examples include Clinical Ethics, Radiation Oncology, Integrative therapies, Interventional Pain Medicine, Consultation Psychiatry, Psychology, Neuro-Oncology, Geriatrics, and more. International Electives are also possible — for example, in the Dominican Republic, Uganda, and India.
Rotation | Months |
Inpatient Consult Service (CUMC) | 3.5 months |
Inpatient Consult Service (WCM) | 3.5 months |
Medical Ethics (CUMC) | 0.5 month |
Hospice (VNS) | 2 months |
Pediatric Palliative Care | 0.5 month |
Mary Manning Walsh Home | 1 month |
Elective | 1 month |
Vacation | 4 weeks |
Didactics & educational program
- HPM Fellowshop Core Lecture Series (weekly)
- Journal Club (monthly)
- Departmental Grand Rounds (weekly)
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine Grand Rounds (monthly)
- Bi-campus Case Conferences Columbia and Cornell (quarterly)
- Debriefing and Resiliency Training sessions for our fellows (monthly)
- Narrative Medicine Workshop (monthly)
- We are committed to helping our fellows develop a reflective practice and develop and strengthen their narrative competence. That is, "to recognize, absorb, metabolize, interpret, and be moved by the stories of illness." (Rita Charon)
How to Apply
Our Bi-campus (Columbia and Cornell campuses) HPM fellowship program is listed in ERAS as NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia and Cornell Campus) Program — (5403512118)
[Previously, our fellowship program was listed as NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia Campus) Program Number 5403504076]
The fellowship is an ACGME approved interdisciplinary fellowship (4 fellows per year) located in both the Department of Medicine at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and in the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine in the Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine.
Applicants who have completed (or will complete) an ACGME approved residency in one of the following disciplines are eligible to apply:
- Anesthesiology
- Emergency medicine
- Family medicine
- Internal medicine
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation
- Psychiatry and neurology
- Radiology
- Surgery
Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The following are required for applicants to upload to ERAS: Curriculum vitae, Personal statement, 3 letters of support, Test scores (e.g., United States Medical Licensing Examination or Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates). Fellowship candidates can submit applications to our program in July. We begin reviewing applications in August and invite successful applicants to interview on a rolling basis.
Fellowship Program Director
Dr. Craig D. Blinderman is an Associate Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Adult Palliative Medicine Service at Columbia University Medical Center/New-York Presbyterian Hospital and the Program Director of the Bi-Campus (Columbia and Cornell) Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Blinderman maintains an active inpatient and outpatient palliative medicine clinical practice. His academic and research interests include: decision-making at the end of life, the philosophy of care, medical ethics, and the integration of palliative care in medical education. He also has a strong interest in teaching and developing programs to improve students and residents' skills in communication and care for the dying.
Co-Chief, Weill Cornell Medical Center Division of Geriatric & Palliative Medicine
Dr. Ron Adelman is the Co-Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He is the Emilie Roy Corey Professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology. Dr. Adelman is also the Director of the Irving Sherwood Center on Aging, Director of the Center for Aging Research and Clinical Care and directs Adult Palliative Care at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. Dr. Adelman’s research interests are in older patient-physician communication, caregiving, and a range of palliative care topics.
Associate Program Director
Dr. Mary Callahan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Rush Medical College and completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2018. She also received a Master’s Degree in Medical Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Callahan's clinical time is spent on the inpatient palliative care service at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center and providing outpatient palliative care services at Herbert Irving Cancer Center. Her academic interests are focused on teaching communication and primary palliative care skills.
Associate Program Director
Navendra Singh, MD, MPH, is a graduate of The Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education and New York Medical College. He completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital. Dr. Singh completed his fellowship training in Palliative Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He subsequently joined the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College where he serves as Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine as an attending physician on the palliative care service and is an associate program director for the Columbia/Cornell Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. His interests focus on postgraduate medical education and immigrant health.
Fellows
Manali Saraiya, MD
Bi-Campus Hospice and Palliative Medicine Clinical Fellow
Medical School: American University of Antigua
Residency: Internal Medicine at Brooklyn Hospital Center of Mt. Sinai
Fellowship: Geriatrics at Weill Cornell New York Presbyterian
Boards/Certifications: Board Certified in Internal Medicine (10/01/2020-10/01/2030)
Goals as Palliative Care Provider: Dr. Saraiya hopes to continue my education to better help families and patients during this process of aging. During college, she had the opportunity to earn a degree in secondary education alongside her bachelor’s degree. It was then she found her passion to teach. She is hoping to use her passion to teach and my love for geriatrics and palliative care to help take better care of patients and their families.
Nadav Klein, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Clinical Fellow
Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Psychiatry Residency: The Ohio State University Medical Center
Fellowship: New York-Presbyterian Bi-campus (Columbia/Cornell)
Goals as Palliative Care Provider: Dr. Klein's goal is to enhance the quality of life of both the individuals who he cares for and their families. He is dedicated to improving communication, symptom, and pain management. He aims to honor personal values, and promote clarity about emotional experiences while recognizing the uncertainty that often comes with grappling with serious medical illness.
Gianna Ramos, MD, MSW, MPH
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Clinical Fellow
Medical School: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine
Residency: General Surgery, Oregon Health and Science University
Goals as Palliative Care Provider: I hope to be able to better understand the interface between surgery and palliative care. I want to work to improve access to palliative care for underserved surgical patients and explore how I, as both a surgeon and palliative care physician, will be able to improve outcomes for my patients by utilizing both of my skill sets.
Adam Z. Tepler, MD
Bi-Campus Hospice and Palliative Medicine Clinical Fellow
Medical School: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Internal Medicine Residency: Montefiore Medical Center
Fellowship: New York-Presbyterian Bi-campus (Columbia/Cornell) Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Boards/Certifications: Internal Medicine - 10/2020
Goals as Palliative Care Provider: My overall goal as a palliative care fellow is to learn how to most effectively diminish suffering, through a holistic and patient-centered approach. I hope to help patients and their loved ones navigate life-altering diagnoses and chronic disease in the most dignified and human way possible.
Lauren Wagner, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio
Residency: Internal Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center
Goals as Palliative Care Provider: I'm interested in learning how to better serve our patients to make hospital and chronic diseases slightly less scary for patients and their families.
Contact us
Adult Palliative Care Service
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Elizabeth Moreno
Program Coordinator, Bi-Campus (Columbia and Cornell) HPM Fellowship
Administrative Assistant to Dr. Craig Blinderman, Adult Palliative Care Service