Message from the Director

The Midwest Hospice and Palliative Medicine Integrated Fellowship program is committed to the education of the next generation of physicians for a full-time career in academic or community-based palliative care. We take pride in the many unique aspects of this program and the enthusiastic commitment of our faculty.

Our fellows benefit greatly from the training environment created through the collaboration of Rush University Medical Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County, Rush North Shore Medical Center and Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter. Fellows experience the unique challenges of provisioning care in a multiplicity of settings and circumstances. Patients and families present from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds with a wide variety of disease conditions.

During this year-long program, our fellows receive thorough training in the principles and practice of palliative care—ensuring the continuity and quality of care across various healthcare delivery settings. Palliative care is by definition interdisciplinary, thus our fellows are able to draw upon and benefit from the expertise and instruction of other physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains and healthcare professionals involved in the assessment and treatment of the patient/family unit.

Training sites include the three area hospitals* as well as community settings, such as the Inpatient Hospice Unit operated by Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter, several extended-care facilities, ambulatory clinics and patients’ homes.

Our fellows go on to pursue careers in full-time hospice care, or hospital and community-based palliative care, or to combine their palliative medicine training with practices in oncology or internal medicine.

The Midwest Hospice and Palliative Medicine Integrated Fellowship trains graduate physicians from ACGME-accredited training programs in family medicine and internal medicine and its subspecialties. Applicants from other disciplines may be considered as well and should inquire if interested.

Martha L. Twaddle, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
Program Director, Midwest Hospice and Palliative Medicine Integrated Fellowship
Chief Medical Officer, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter

* Rush North Shore Medical Center, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County and Rush University Medical Center