The dedicated pediatric track of the Michigan Medicine Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program is located at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, a tertiary care hospital with 348 private inpatient pediatric beds, including three ICUs, four general care units, and a large labor and delivery and MFM service. Our Pediatric Palliative Care Program was established in 2005 and serves over 400 inpatients with serious illness per year.
Our palliative care pediatricians are actively involved in education, quality improvement, research, and service to the hospital, serving in multiple leadership roles within the hospital and department. Since the pediatric track fellowship began in 2013, trainees have received high-quality training augmented by a well-established interdisciplinary interprofessional team, including physicians, nurses, advanced practice providers, social workers, spiritual care providers, a child life specialist, music therapist, and a facility dog.
Our patient population includes the spectrum of ages (perinatal through young adult) and consultations come from a wide variety of pediatric providers. Our fellows are able to follow patients in the inpatient setting, outpatient setting, prenatally, receiving home based palliative care through the Partners for Children program and in hospice care.
As with all HPM fellows, pediatric track trainees fellows will be eligible to obtain board certification in hospice and palliative medicine at the completion of their training. Our training program also includes strong hospice and adult medicine experiences and a reputation for outstanding teaching.
Clinical Rotations
Fellows rotate through a wide range of settings including inpatient, consultative and ambulatory pediatrics palliative care services, home hospice, extended care, as well as an elective rotation. In addition to clinical rotations, fellows also have protected time to complete a scholarly project.
Pediatric Ambulatory and Inpatient Palliative Care
- Site: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital
- Goals: Providing palliative care consultation to pediatric patients regarding goals and advanced care planning, symptom management, values guided decision support, care transitions, and end-of-life care
- Site Director: Patricia Keefer, MD; D’Anna Saul, MD
- Duration:
- Inpatient: Six months
- Outpatient: One half-day per week throughout the training year Outpatients are seen in clinics at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and via virtual visits.
Hospice Rotation
- Site: Arbor Hospice in Ann Arbor, MI
- Goals: Working with interdisciplinary hospice team, care to pediatric patients receiving home hospice services in a concurrent care model and providing end-of-life care to children and adults at Arbor Hospice residential facility and at home
- Site Director: Thomas O'Neil, MD; Patricia Keefer, MD
- Duration: Three months
University of Michigan Adult Palliative Care Inpatient Consultation Service
- Site: University Hospital
- Goals: Providing palliative care consultation to the primary care teams of adult patients regarding goals of care, pain and symptom management, decision-making, care transitions, and end-of-life care. Pediatric HPM fellows will rotate with an adult HPM fellow, who will be an additional support while participating in consults for adult patients faced with a serious illness.
- Site Director: Laura Taylor, MD, MSc; Laura M. Marsh, DO
- Duration: One month
VA Palliative Care Consultation Service
- Site: VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
- Goals: Improving knowledge and skills in providing palliative and end-of-life care to patients and families in acute care and in the VA extended care unit as a member of interdisciplinary consult team. Just as during the University Hospital rotation, Pediatric HPM fellows at the VA will rotate with an adult HPM fellow who will be an additional support while participating in consults for veterans faced with a serious illness.
- Site Director: Marcos Montagnini, MD; Ellen Hummel, MD
- Duration: One month
Elective Rotation
- Site/Faculty: Variable based on trainee request
- Options: Elective rotations offered in the following areas: Anesthesia/Pain, Cardiology, Ethics, Hematology & Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Pharmacy, Psychiatry, Psychology, Program Development. Individual electives are typically focused on trainee’s goals and may include a variety of experiences
- Duration: One month
Scholarly Project
Fellows are required to develop a scholarly project as part of their training. Each fellow will have protected time to devote to development of their project(s). The subject of the project will depend on the fellow's career goals. Examples include writing a review paper or a case report, participating in a clinical research project, or developing educational materials. Each fellow will be assigned to a faculty mentor and is encouraged to prepare abstracts, submit work for publication in peer reviewed journals, and for presentations at local, regional, and national meetings.
Meet the Pediatric Team
How to Apply
Application process follows the same guidelines as regular HPM Fellowship. Please identify interest in the Pediatrics track in your personal statement.