Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowships

Program Overview

Since its inception in 1989 as the first U.S.-based physician Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic’s Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program has trained clinically excellent physicians, physician educators and physician scientists.

At Cleveland Clinic, we believe that excellent palliative care requires a blend of extensive medical knowledge and deep personal connection.  In our fellowship, we foster are collaborative and collegial, fostering a culture that promotes your education and career development. We desire a class of fellows from all backgrounds with varied interests and career goals who work together to provide the best possible care to patients.

Our fellows graduate with:

• Expert training in symptom management
• Mastery of family meetings
• Exposure to a broad spectrum of clinical disease and an understanding of where hospice and palliative care fits for each disease
• A unique experience tailored to their interests and desired career

Living in Cleveland

Cleveland, a mid-sized city located on Lake Erie, features a host of cultural attractions, recreational activities, major sporting events and an exploding culinary scene. Cleveland is home to the second largest theater district in the U.S., a park system featuring 23,700 acres in 18 reservations, and is the birthplace of rock ’n’ roll, home to the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Cleveland Clinic is located near the University Circle area, which is the cultural epicenter of Cleveland. This area features Severance Hall and the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Museum of Art, several other museums, and Case Western Reserve University. Downtown Cleveland, home to all major sports venues and an exploding culinary scene, is approximately two miles from Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.

• Learn more about the city we call home.

Clinical Training & Didactics

In our fellowship program, we take the balance between service and education very seriously. Since you are with us for only one year, your clinical experiences play a key role in becoming the competent HPM physician you want to be.

Clinical Curriculum

• 1 week of palliative medicine bootcamp in July
• 22 weeks of inpatient palliative care consult services
• 4 weeks embedded with the Solid Tumor Oncology (STO) team
• 12 weeks on the general palliative consult service
• 6 weeks on the regional hospital palliative consult service
• 2 weeks of outpatient Palliative Care Clinic + 1 full day/week on other rotations (for a total of roughly 10 weeks in clinic)
• 6 weeks of home hospice and home palliative care
• 4 weeks of inpatient hospice
• 2 weeks of hospice long-term care at the VA’s Inpatient Unit
• 1 week of long-term care at a Long-Term Acute Care Hospital (LTACH)
• 2 weeks of inpatient pediatric palliative care
• 2 weeks of psycho-oncology
• 10 weeks of elective/selective time
• 2-4 weeks of electives
• 6-8 weeks of selective time
• Repeating any of the core hospice and palliative care rotations
• Bone marrow transplant or Leukemia embedded services
• Separate regional hospital experience
• 15 days of vacation and 5 personal days (20 days of PTO)

Popular electives include:

• Bioethics
• Radiation Oncology
• Addiction Medicine
• Chronic pain
• Acute pain
• Integrative Medicine
• Rotations in Hematology, Oncology, Pulmonary, Emergency, or other specialties.
• Research
• Medical education
• Business/Leadership
• Additional time on any of the primary services above.
• Create your own

Rotation Schedule

Didactics and Beyond

Lectures serve to complement and enhance the learning that occurs on clinical services. This starts during orientation with our palliative care “bootcamp” and then continues with our monthly academic days. Academic days alternate between day-long communication skills retreats and lecture-based didactics on advanced palliative medicine topics.

Bootcamp

The year begins with a week of didactics prior to any clinical work, giving you a chance to develop a foundation for your clinical rotations and meet many of the attendings you’ll be working with.  Bootcamp lectures cover the basics of communication, pain management, nausea, constipation, and other symptoms as well as practical matters such as overviews of the major rotations, documentation guidelines, EMR use, etc. We’ll have you feeling comfortable and prepared for patient care by the time you start seeing patients.

Communication Skills Training

Communication training consists of day-long retreats where fellows and faculty will learn, discuss and practice communication skills. The 7 retreats are spaced evenly throughout the year and designed to build over time to cover more and more advanced skills. Faculty keep the learning both enjoyable and impactful by employing a variety of techniques and drills from medical improv and sociodrama, as well as from Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication courses. Dr. Neuendorf brings her experience leading the Center for Excellence in Healthcare Communication, where she has taught communication skills to thousands of physicians across the country and the world.

Topics include:

• Foundational Skills
  • Empathic statements
  • Reflective listening
  • Exploring the patient’s perspective
  • Sharing information collaboratively
• Framework for family meetings
• Giving bad news
• Discussing uncertainty
• Sharing prognosis
• Code status discussions
• Communication Challenges – How to respond to:
  • Patients focused on a miracle
  • Patients using the “fight” metaphor
  • Patients coping through denial
  • Medical Mistrust
  • Patients who experience racism or other forms of discrimination

Lecture Based Didactics

Lectures are taught by faculty in palliative medicine as well as related fields including psychiatry, ethics, geriatrics and interventional pain management. Lectures given throughout the year will include the essentials to be a competent specialist and will include advanced topics such as buprenorphine, ketamine, donation after cardiac death, pain management in substance use disorder as well as topics on education and leadership.

For an example, you can watch Dr. Neale give a talk on Ketamine.

Other Educational Series

In addition to lectures during the academic half-days, fellows will be able to participate in the following conferences:

• Journal club
• Palliative Medicine Grand rounds
• Case conferences
• Psychosocial rounds
• Narrative Medicine
• M&M conferences
• Interdisciplinary team meetings
• Psychosocial tumor board
• Opioid Management Review Committee
• Ask the Expert conference

Hospital & Rotation Locations

Hospitals

Most training will take place at Cleveland Clinic’s Main Campus. Fellows also will train at Hillcrest Hospital, a community-based hospital, and the VA. Fellows can choose to rotate with our palliative team at Fairview Hospital as well.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

• Over 100 specialties are represented.
• 44 buildings, over 85 operating rooms, more than 1,400 beds and more than 200 ICU beds.
• To learn more about our facilities, visit our GME page for a virtual tour and overview of the resources and amenities available.

Taussig Cancer Center

Taussig Cancer Center is located on Main Campus and is our department’s home, including outpatient palliative medicine clinic space, and office space for our fellows and staff.

Take a virtual tour of the Cancer Center.

Hillcrest Hospital

• Hillcrest Hospital is a busy community hospital with 500 beds on Cleveland’s east side.
• Hillcrest Hospital features a level II trauma center and 48 ICU beds.

Fairview Hospital

• Fairview Hospital is a busy 488 bed community teaching hospital on Cleveland’s west side overlooking the city's Metroparks.
• Features a level I trauma center and 52 ICU beds.

Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

Heroes Harbor is a 12 bed inpatient hospice unit located in the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.

Fellows

Current Fellows

Class of 2026-2027

Rafael Ablao lll, DO

Hometown: Chandler, AZ
Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University
Residency: Creighton University East Valley Arizona – Internal Medicine 

Jensine Agenmonmen, MD

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria
Medical School: University of Limerick School of Medicine – Ireland
Residency: UHS Wilson Medical Center – Family Medicine

Shivani Dalal, MD

Hometown: Burleson, Texas
Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Residency: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine – Family Medicine

Christian Guzman Veras, MD

Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Medical School: Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo – Dominican Republic
Residency: Morristown Memorial Hospital – Internal Medicine 

Annika Sharma, MD

Hometown: Toronto, Canada 
Medical School: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland School of Medicine
Residency: Pennsylvania Hospital – Internal Medicine 

Cole Syverson, DO

Class of 2025-2026

 
Michael Dinh, DO

Hometown: Austin, Texas
Medical School: Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Texas Health HEB – Internal Medicine

Frank Dresner, MD

Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia
Medical School: Lékarská Fakulta, Univerzity Karlovy
Residency: Mercy Health – Saint Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital - Internal Medicine

Alec Good, DO

Hometown: Blacksburg, Virginia
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Trident Medical Center, Charleston, South Carolina – Emergency Medicine

Eiman Kazi, DO

Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Medical School: College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
Residency: UCSF – Fresno Medical Education Program – Internal Medicine

Kelly Makino, MD

Hometown: Rochester, New York
Medical School: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Residency: University of Hawaii J A Burns, School of Medicine – Family Medicine

Ashley White, DO

Hometown: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Medical School: Lincoln Memorial University- DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Sinai Hospital of Baltimore – Internal Medicine

Class of 2024-2025

Kodiak Carb, MD

Hometown: Bryn Mawr, PA
Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
Residency: Allegheny Health Network – Internal Medicine

Nathaniel Larson, MD

Hometown: Jamestown, NY
Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Residency: University of Rochester Medical Center – Internal Medicine 

Brigid Prayson, MD

Hometown: Shaker Heights, OH
Medical School: Ohio State University College of Medicine
Residency: Allegheny Health Network – Internal Medicine

Mikisa Solomon, MD

Hometown: Connellsville, PA
Medical School: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Residency: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center – Internal Medicine

Kayla St Lucia, MD

Hometown: Niskayuna, NY
Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of Buffalo – Internal Medicine

Michael Wiley, MD

Hometown: Chambersburg, PA
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Ohio Health Riverside Methodist Hospital – Internal Medicine

Post Fellowship

As you can see below, fellows from the past 10 years have left our program and are influencing the world of medicine in many different ways.

Our Staff

David Harris, MD
Program Director

Clinical Practice: Inpatient Palliative consults
Areas of Interest: Communication training
Something to know about Dave: I love to try new restaurants and keep a list of good places to eat for every city that I’ve been to. I like reading about psychology, decision-making or poetry

John Brandon Walters, MD
APD Evidence Based Learning and Resources

Clinical Practice: Outpatient Palliative Care, Hospice
Areas of Interest: Operations, Value based care
Something to know about Brandon: My first name is John but I go by my middle name Brandon

Laura Shoemaker, DO, MS, FAAHPM
Chair, Department of Palliative and Supportive Care, The Lois U. and Harry R. Horvitz Endowed Chair in Palliative Medicine

Clinical Practice: Outpatient Palliative Medicine
Areas of Interest: Leadership, Program Development, Coaching, Narrative Medicine
Something to know about Laura: In my free time I love to play tennis and cuddle my 2 beagles, Bosco and Lucy

Liz Weinstein, MD, MEd
APD Faculty Development

Clinical Practice: Outpatient Palliative Care
Areas of Interest: Communication skills teaching, Value based care, Clinical program development
Something to know about Liz: I grew up in Cleveland and came back after 18 years away to raise my kids here.

Sarah Persaud, MD
VA Faculty

Clinical Practice: I work in the inpatient hospice unit at the VA (Heroes Harbor) and see inpatient palliative care consults.
Areas of Interest: I have always had an interest in medical education. My favorite aspect of this is teaching learners at the bedside, but I do enjoy other aspects of education, including curriculum development, as well.
Something to know about Sarah: I think wellness for both learners and physicians is very important. I will always try to create a safe learning environment for rotators, and value life outside of the hospital.

Rotation Leads

Hospice Inpatient
Dr. Laura Hoeksema

Home/Field Hospice 1
Dr. Tracy Gulling-Leftwich

General Consults
Dr. Jason Ondrejka

STO Consults
Dr. David Harris

Hillcrest Consults
Dr. Kathryn Richards

Outpatient Clinic
Dr. Renato Samala

Long Term Care (VA Hospital)
Dr. Sarah Persaud

Long Term Care (LTACH)
Dr. Jafar Abunasser

Pediatrics
Dr. Kristin Carter

Fairview Consults
Dr. Katherine Eilenfeld

BMT Consults
Dr. Susan McInnes

Benefits

Comprehensive Health Plan: Graduate Medical Education at Cleveland Clinic offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits program that recognizes the needs of healthcare providers from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. as well as providing individuals and families with meaningful benefit choices.

• Dental Insurance.
• Vision Plan.
• Prescription Drug Benefit.

Retirement Programs: 403(b) Savings and Investment Plan (SIP)

• Funded with Pre-Tax, Roth, and/or After-Tax contributions.
• Fidelity Investments financial support by representatives at no cost.

Voluntary Benefits:

• MetLife Auto/Home/Pet Insurance.
• MetLaw Group Legal Plan.
• Global CARE Program.

Flexible Spending Accounts:

• Healthcare FSA.
• Dependent Care FSA.

Additional Insurance Coverage:

• Group Long Term Disability.
• Supplemental Individual Disability.
• Life Insurance.
• Professional Liability Insurance.

Paid Time Off (PTO):

• 20 vacation days.
• 3 separate days for post-fellowship job interviews.
• Sick days.

Travel Benefit: Cleveland Clinic strongly encourages trainees to participate in scholarly/research activities. Eligibility will be determined by the Program Director. Please refer to the Graduate Physician's Manual for further details.

• One Education Institute sponsored trip per academic year if presenting as a first-author with an accepted abstract (Maximum reimbursement of $2,500 per academic year).
• Funds are available for fellows in the accredited program to attend academic meetings for the purpose of presenting or engaging in leadership roles within national societies.

Maternity and Parental Leave:

• 100% pay for up to 8 weeks of maternity leave for mothers following childbirth.
• 100% pay for up to 4 weeks of parental leave for both parents following the birth or adoption of a child.

Board Exam Preparation: American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s HPM Pass 4th Edition subscription.

• Mock exam scheduled during the second half of the year to simulate the board certification exam.
• Includes 80 peer-reviewed questions, covering 11 content modules identified in the current ABIM Hospice & Palliative Medicine Certification exam blueprint.

GME Annual Education Allowance:

• Cleveland Clinic aims to be the best place to train and the best place to work in healthcare. An important step toward that shared goal is the new annual educational allowance for clinical trainees, effective Jan. 1, 2024.
• The GME Office will provide each clinical trainee an educational fund of $1,000 for material to enhance their learning. The fund will be available annually starting on the day the trainee was first appointed and through the end of the trainee’s academic year.

iPhone: Clinical trainees will receive Cleveland Clinic issued iPhones during orientation.

Benefit Highlights: Find out what benefits you receive as a Cleveland Clinic trainee.

Finance Highlights: Get key information such as salary to help you manage your finances.

Support Programs

Well-Being Resources

• TT4 Gym: Access to exercise facilities that are reserved exclusively for residents and fellows.
  • Gain access to facilities available to all CCF employees, as well as free fitness resources and mobile apps
• Walker Fitness Center
• Office of Caregiver Experience: Offers resources for emotional, physical, spiritual and social well-being
• Childcare resources

Well-Being Programs

• Emerge Stronger: Emerge Stronger is a confidential, one-on-one peer support program for any Cleveland Clinic caregiver distressed by an unanticipated clinical event, adverse event or medical/healthcare error. Support is provided by a peer in your field. This hospital-wide program was started by Dr. Hoeksema, one of our hospice physicians.
• Relaxation Program: Podcasts from Cleveland Clinic doctors on proper behaviors and techniques for relaxation.
• Stress Free Now: Six-week online program designed to decrease stress, build resilience and increase energy.
• Burnout Prevention Module: Helps to create a holistic, supportive culture of wellness and prevent trainee burnout.
• Wellness Connection: A 30-minute presentation delivered by a wellness industry professional on the third Wednesday of each month.
• Employee Wellness Monthly Newsletter: Events, raffles, and incentive programs.
• Healthy Choice Program: A voluntary discount program that offers employees an opportunity to receive discounted rates on their health plan through achieving well-being and health goals.
• Caring for Caregivers: A group of therapists that provide therapy exclusively to Cleveland Clinic caregivers either in person on main campus, or virtually.

Available Services & Support Programs

House Staff Association: Peer-elected representative body of Cleveland Clinic physician trainees (house staff), which includes residents and fellows.

• Advocate for and promote the well-being, interests, and education of Cleveland Clinic house staff.
• Provide input on policy to improve patient care and the work environment.
• Sponsors activities for house staff such as educational seminars, volunteer events, an annual art contest, painting with the DIO, QPS opportunities, outing to sporting events, fine arts exhibits and concerts.

Applying

Cleveland Clinic Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program

We appreciate your interest in applying to our Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program. As the first established Hospice and Palliative Medicine program in the United States, we pride ourselves on fostering an environment that encourages continuous improvement initiatives and emphasizes patient-centered care. After completion of the fellowship program, our graduates feel confident that they can provide the best quality of life and clinical care for patients who are often feeling at their worst.

Application Process

All required clinical education for entry into ACGME-accredited fellowship programs must be completed in an ACGME-accredited residency program, or in an RCPSC-accredited or CFPC-accredited residency program located in Canada. Prior to appointment in the program, fellows must have completed an ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited program in child neurology, family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, or neurology; or at least three clinical years in an ACGME- or RCPSC-accredited graduate educational program in one of the following specialties: anesthesiology, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, radiation oncology, radiology, or surgery.

The application process for fellowship is conducted through ERAS^®. Please visit the ERAS^® website for more information about the application process and up-to-date deadlines for the current application cycle. The following is a list of required ERAS^® application materials:

• Personal Statement(s).
• Letters of Recommendation (Upload to ERAS^® Letter of Recommendation Portal).
• Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Deans Letter).
• Medical School Transcript.
• ECFMG Status Report (International Medical Graduates Only).
• Photograph.
• USMLE and COMLEX Transcripts.

Advice on your application

We want to get to know you! The newer ERAS^® application doesn’t have a clear place for you to share hobbies, passions, quirks, etc. We encourage you to add this to your application in any place that seems appropriate. In the past, applicants entered this as an "experience".

What we look for

We believe that if we set clear expectations for our learners, they will rise to the occasion. In that spirit, we are sharing what we look for on your CV and personal statement below.

CV:

• Experience working in any sort of job before residency
• Involvement in non-clinical activities, particularly involvement as a leader, or longitudinal involvement
• Nominated awards, especially peer nominated awards
• Involvement in research

Personal Statement:

• Experiences that show adaptability, grit or resilience
• Personal, compelling writing
• Experiences that show depth of character, wisdom or that make us want to meet you

Interview Process

We are offering a virtual interview out of respect for the time and financial burden that travelling for interviews can entail.
Here are some details about our interview day — Virtual Interface: Thalamus

• Interview length: Interview day runs from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST for morning interviews, and from 12 - 5 p.m. EST for afternoon interviews.
• Interview agenda: Each candidate will receive a personalized agenda from the Program Coordinator prior to the interview day. This will include a detailed schedule for your interview as well as provide you with informational resources about our Fellowship Program and the Cleveland Clinic as an organization.
• Program overview: The interview day will begin a brief overview of the Fellowship provided by the Program Director. (Approximately 40 minutes)
• Current fellow Q&A: Following the overview, candidates will have the chance to interact with fellows from the current program separately to hear about their perspective and ask them questions. (Approximately 20 minutes)
• Teaching/Conference: Next, candidates will be provided with a short teaching conference by the Program Director so you are able to experience what a lecture might look like during a didactics session. (Approximately 25 minutes)
• Break: Prior to the interview sessions, candidates will have a short break. (Approximately 5 minutes)
• Interviews: The candidate will meet with the program director and 3-4 other members of our team. Each interview will last approximately 30 minutes, with a 10-minute break between each session. (Approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes total)
• Program director farewell: Everyone will jump back on a group call with the Program Director to review and finish the day. (Approximately 20 minutes)

Candidate Selection

We are a participant of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Match and therefore, do not fill any positions outside of the Match. Applications will be accepted during the month of July each year for positions to begin July 1 of the next academic year. Please refer to the NRMP Website for more information regarding deadlines for the current application cycle.

Contact Us

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact our Fellowship Program Coordinator regarding inquiries into our program. We are dedicated toward making the fellowship application process as seamless as possible and look forward to interacting with you in the future.

Kaitlyn Lawson (She/Her)
Fellowship Program Coordinator
Email: lawsonk9@ccf.org
Phone: 216.636.1683
Location: Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
CA6, 9500 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH