Palliative Care and Oncology: Partners in Patient Care With Richa Thakur, MD, and Janet Abrahm, MD

Oncology Data Advisor

In this Fellows Forum podcast episode, Dr. Richa Thakur, Palliative Care Physician and Hematology/Oncology Fellow at Northwell Health, speaks with Dr. Janet Abrahm, one of the founders of the field of palliative care in the United States. Dr. Abrahm shares insights into her career and research in palliative care, including: • How palliative care in oncology isn’t just for end of life—it’s for enhancing patient outcomes • How palliative care serves as a partner for the oncology team • The value of palliative care training for hematology/oncology fellows • How to cope with the moral distress and compassion fatigue that clinicians may experience when treatment doesn’t work for their patients • The stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) and how they can be experienced by both patients and clinicians • The importance for both oncology and palliative care fellows to find an outlet for their grief • Dr. Abrahm’s website and book, “Comprehensive Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for Patients with Cancer,” which feature a wealth of information for busy practicing oncology and palliative care clinicians • And more!