Research Resources

Palliative Care Organizations

There are several national organizations offering continuing education and other resources for palliative care professionals and trainees:

Center to Advance Palliative Care
National Palliative Care Research Center
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

National Training Opportunities

Training opportunities in palliative care are available through:

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)
American Osteopathic Association (AOA) - 12 programs

Conferences and Meetings for Presenting Palliative Care Research

Faculty and mentees have presented palliative care research talks and posters at the following conferences:

The Annual Assembly of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA)
This annual three-day meeting brings together nearly 3,000 physicians, nurses, and other health care providers in the field of hospice and palliative care to share research, clinical best practices, and practice-related guidance to advance the specialty and improve patient care. Our group regularly attends this conference and has had much success presenting posters and talks.

American Heart Association Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions
This annual conference brings clinicians, researchers, medical students and trainees, nurses, other health professions, and policymakers together to share quality of care and outcomes research focused on cardiovascular disease and stroke. Our group has presented findings from palliative care and heart failure research intitiatives.

Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium
Co-sponsored by AAHPM, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the Multinational Association of Supportive care in Cancer (MASCC), the goal of the Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium is to promote discussion and integration of palliative care from the time that patients are diagnosed with cancer, include supportive care into survivorship plans that address late effects of cancer treatment, and increase the use of palliative care at the end of life.

Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group Member Meetings
The PCRC hosts several meetings yearly for Investigators covering a variety of palliative care research topics such as study design and grant writing.

State of the Science Meeting in Hospice and Palliative Care Sponsored by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), the purpose of this meeting is to provide a forum for sharing cutting-edge hospice and palliative medicine research updates. This meeting brings together investigators at all career stages to foster collaborations and advance the science of hospice and palliative medicine.

Society of General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting
SGIM annual conferences bring together leading academic researchers and general internists to discuss a variety of current research topics in internal medicine, including palliative care.

Funding Organizations and Research Cooperative Groups

There are many organizations and research cooperative groups offering funding opportunities to palliative care investigators at all levels:

Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC)
PCRC was established in 2010 to create a network for academic community palliative care providers to engage in research opportunities. They work to develop scientifically based methods that lead to meaningful evidence for decreasing the suffering of patients with advanced or potentially life-limiting illnesses and their caregivers, including family members and providers of care.

National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC)
NPCRC is committed to stimulating, developing, and funding research directed at improving care for seriously ill patients and their families.

American Cancer Society (ACS)
As the nation's largest private, not-for-profit source of funds for scientists studying cancer, the ACS focuses its funding on investigator-initiated, peer-reviewed proposals. This process ensures that researchers propose projects that they believe are ready to be tackled with the available knowledge and techniques and encourages discovery in areas that scientists believe are most likely to solve the problems of cancer. ACS also offers grants that support the clinical and/or research training of health professionals (i.e., nurses, physicians, social workers). These Health Professional Training Grants promote excellence in cancer prevention and control by providing incentive and support for highly qualified individuals in outstanding training programs or responsible for training.

Cambia Health Foundation (CHF)
Based in Portland, CHF awards grants based on three program areas: transforming health care, children’s health, and palliative and end-of-life care. The Sojourn’s Scholar Leadership Program seeks to support outstanding nurse and physician emerging leaders in palliative care by investing in their professional development.

National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
NINR supports research to develop improved, personalized strategies to treat and prevent the adverse symptoms of illness across diverse populations and settings.

National Institute on Aging (NIA)
The National Institute on Aging leads the federal government in conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The Institute seeks to understand the nature of aging and the aging process, and diseases and conditions associated with growing older, in order to extend the healthy, active years of life.

National Cancer Institute (NCI)
NCI is the Federal Government's principal agency for cancer research and training.

Research Priorities in Palliative Care

The following reports summarize current and evolving research priorities in palliative care:

“National Academy – Building the Workforce We Need for People with Serious Illness” GRIL (Geriatrics Research Instrument Library).

Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life by the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Approaching Death: Addressing Key End-of-Life Issues. National Academy of Sciences, 2014.

Building Momentum: The Science of End-of-Life and Palliative Care. A Review of Research Trends and Funding, 1997-2010. The National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Nursing Research, 2013.

Improving Health Care and Palliative Care for Advanced and Serious Illness. October 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.

Research Priorities in Geriatric Palliative Care. A Series of Reports by the National Palliative Care Research Center, beginning July 2013.

Journals that Publish Palliative Care Research

Palliative Care Newsletters and Blogs

Investigators from the University of Pittsburgh have been involved in the following national recommendations shaping the future of palliative care:

GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Blog
GeriPal is a forum for discourse, recent news and research, and freethinking commentary. GeriPal welcomes the perspectives of generalists, specialists, gerontologists, palliative care clinicians, and anyone else interested in care of the elderly or palliative care.

PALLIMED – A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog

Hospice and Palliative Medicine SmartBrief
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine SmartBrief is a daily targeted newsletter with articles for hospice and palliative medicine.

PC-FACS (Fast Article Critical Summaries for Clinicians in Palliative Care)
PC-FACS is an electronic publication that provides concise summaries of the most important findings from more than 100 medical and scientific journals.

Palliative Care JournalClub
Palliative Care JournalClub is an electronic listing of palliative care articles. Readers can register to receive a weekly e-mail of selected titles.

Get Palliative Care Blog & Resources
Get Palliative Care provides information for family caregivers, clinicians, and policymakers about what palliative care is, who it’s right for, and how to get it, as well as an extensive resource list.

Measurement Tools

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Assessment Tools for Palliative Care
Measurement and Evaluation Tools from National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC)
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)

Technology Transfer and Commercialization

Research Focus Areas

Translation to Care

More Resources