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UTGSM Launches a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship in 2022

The Department of Family Medicine at the University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine (UTGSM) in conjunction with the University of Tennessee Medical Center, University Palliative Care, University of Tennessee Home Care and Hospice, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital now offers a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. The new one-year ACGME-accredited fellowship has a mission to foster the development of a diverse group of graduates who can succeed in clinical, educational, or academic roles in the scope of palliative medicine, while maintaining resilience and professional fortitude.

William P. Metheny, PhD, Designated Institutional Official (DIO), Assistant Dean for both Graduate Medical & Dental Education, and Undergraduate Medical Education, stated several reasons for the development of this new training program.

“The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship is sorely needed as there is a profound lack of trained physicians in hospice and palliative medicine. Tennessee currently ranks 37th in the nation in providing access to hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) services. In addition, in the United States, there are on average only 14 HPM trained physicians per 100,000 people 65 and older. This fellowship, will become the 3rd HPM fellowship in Tennessee joining others in Memphis and Nashville.”

Adam J. Tyson, MD, Assistant Professor, will be the program director for the new Fellowship. Dr. Tyson is certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. In 2016, he completed his fellowship at the Lehigh Valley Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Dr. Metheny said, “We are very fortunate to have recruited Dr. Tyson to be the program director. Given his academic credentials and interests he was the most logical person for the position.”

The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship will begin on July 1, 2022. Dr. Metheny stated, “This HPM fellowship is unique in that it is a multi-specialty training program. A physician who has completed a residency across multiple disciplines can apply for the fellowship even though the training program is sponsored by the Department of Family Medicine. This will give us an advantage in terms of recruiting future fellows.” Applications are accepted through the Electronic Residency Application Program (ERAS) and the program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Fellowship Match.

Heather Reed-Day MD, who graduated from the University of Virginia’s residency program in Emergency Medicine, will be the inaugural fellow.

To learn more about the UTGSM Hospice and Palliative Fellowship at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit http://gsm.utmck.edu/family_medicine/hospice/main.cfm

Posted June, 22 2022

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