For Immediate Release                                       Media Contact:            Lisa Honebrink
                                                                                                            503-721-4094
                                                                                                            Lisa.Honebrink@cambiahealth.com
                                                                   

Portland, Ore. -- A special report by 10 physicians and nurses of the inaugural cohort of  Cambia Health Foundation's Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program was accepted and published in the recent issue of Journal of Palliative Medicine: “The Cambia Sojourns Scholars Leadersip Program: Project Summaries from the Inaugural Scholar Cohort."
“Having the esteemed Journal of Palliative Medicine publish our scholars’ report exemplifies the purpose and spirit of our Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program, which focuses on strengthening budding leaders’ palliative-care skills and helping them implement innovative projects that will advance the field,” said Peggy Maguire, president and board chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “With mentoring from a renowned group of Advisory Committee members, our Scholars are doing ground-breaking work in palliative care and policy. We are proud of them and humbled by their remarkable talent and dedication to excellence in their daily work to provide an extra layer of support to people and families facing serious illness.”
 
Cambia Health Foundation created the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program to help develop new leaders to influence the research, program and policy development of the palliative-care field; and to advance palliative care awareness, quality and access for more Americans.
 
“Palliative care has gained traction as a vitally important practice area that could touch the lives of every one of us, either as patients or as caregivers,” said Maguire.
 
The special report presents the background, aims and results to date of each of the projects from the 2014 Sojourns Scholars cohort:

• Integrating Multidisciplinary Palliative Care into the Intensive Care Unit: Disseminating a Palliative Care Education and Quality Improvement Initiative for Bedside Nurses – Wendy G. Anderson, MD, MS, University of California, San Francisco
• The Big Picture Project – Renee D. Boss, MD, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Berman Institute of Bioethics
• Palliative Care Research Proposal: The Dementia Symptom Management at Home Program en Español – Abraham A. Brody, RN, Ph.D., New York University College of Nursing
• Best Case/Worst Case: A communication Tool to Assist Older Adults Facing Difficult Surgical Decisions – Toby C. Campbell, MD, MSCI, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
• Severe Acute Brain Injury: Identifying Palliative Care Needs in the Neuro-ICU – Claire J. Creutzfeldt, MD, University of Washington
• A Comprehensive Critical Communications Curriculum for Residency Education Using Multimedia Tools – Caroline J. Hurd, MD, University of Washington
• Which Palliative Care Quality Measures Improve Patient-Centered Outcomes? – Arif H. Kamal, MD, Duke University
• Community-Based Palliative Care Implementation in the San Francisco Department of Public Health – Anne L. Kinderman, MD, San Francisco General Hospital at UCSF
• Promoting Palliative Care through Intensive Communication Training for Generalist Clinicians – Elizabeth L. Lindenberger, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Symptom Burden and Palliative Care among Patients with Multimorbidity – Lynn F. Reinke, RN, Ph.D., Department of Veteran Affairs, VA Puget Sound Healthcare

 
Journal of Palliative Medicine is the premier peer-reviewed journal covering medical, psychosocial, policy, and legal issues in end-of-life care and relief of suffering for patients with intractable pain. The Journal presents essential information for professionals in hospice/palliative medicine, focusing on improving quality of life for patients and their families, and the latest developments in drug and non-drug treatments.

Since its inception in 2014, the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program has awarded $3.6 million in grants to 20 scholars across the nation. To further broaden learning and development opportunities, each scholar is mentored by an established national palliative care leader from the program’s advisory council, which currently includes: 

• Randy Curtis, MD, M.P.H, director, University of Washington Palliative Care Center of Excellence
• Patricia Davidson, PhD, MEd, FAAN, Dean, the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
• Betty Ferrell, PhD, M.A., F.A.A.N., F.P.C.N., director and professor, City of Hope
• Jean S. Kutner, MD, MSPH, Chief Medical Officer, University of Colorado Hospital,
• Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Steve Pantilat, MD, FAAHPM, SFHM, director of UCSF Palliative Care Program, University of California at San Francisco

 
About Cambia Health Foundation 
Based in Portland, Oregon, Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions, a total health solutions company dedicated to transforming the way people experience health care. Cambia Health Foundation awards grants in three program areas: palliative and end-of-life care through the Foundation’s signature program, Sojourns; Transforming Health Care; and Children’s Health. Since its inception in 2007, the Foundation has funded more than $40 million in grants to support these causes. Through Sojourns, Cambia Health Foundation strives to advance patient- and family-centered care that optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and treating suffering. The Foundation is committed to: improving access to and quality of palliative care beyond the hospital setting through increased use of technology and expansion in nontraditional settings and rural areas; facilitating an open dialogue about end-of-life issues; strengthening the workforce to meet increased consumer demand; and recognizing leadership, innovation and inspiration in palliative care. Learn more at www.cambiahealthfoundation.org or follow us on Twitter.