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.
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.
- 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).
- 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.
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
Dr. Irani received her medical degree from McMaster University, Ontario, Canada and completed her Residency in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto. She completed her Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Montefiore Hospital. Dr. Irani has been board certified with the American Board of Family Medicine since 2009. Dr. Irani is a physician in the adult palliative care department at CUIMC. She is Director of Outpatient Palliative Care Services at CUIMC. Dr. Irani primarily provides outpatient Palliative Care services but also cares for those on the inpatient service. She also supervises Palliative Care Fellows in both outpatient and inpatient settings, as well as other fellows, residents and medical students. Dr. Irani's education focus includes increasing palliative care exposure to medical students and enhancing palliative care skills of residents and fellows in both primary care and specialty settings.
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
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
Alexander Jordan, MD
Integrated Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Mary Hon, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Sahaj Patel, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: Georgetown University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, Boston University
Whitney Salley, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, Prisma Health - Upstate
Margo Tanner, MD
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow
Medical School: Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Residency: Internal Medicine, University of Virginia
Contact us
Adult Palliative Care Service
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Svetlana Belyy
Program Coordinator, Bi-Campus (Columbia and Cornell) HPM Fellowship
Administrative Assistant to Dr. Shunichi Nakagawa , Adult Palliative Care Service