Division Director, Pediatric Palliative Care at the Janet Weis Children's Hospital - Geisinger

The Department of Pediatrics and the Janet Weis Childrens Hospital at Geisinger is seeking a Board Eligible/Certified palliative care pediatrician to serve as the Medical Director of the Division of Pediatric Palliative Care. The Director will provide oversight, direct patient care, teaching and consultative services as a palliative care pediatrician.  Our Division currently consists of a two Board-Certified Palliative and Intensive Care Pediatricians and a Social Worker who provides clinical oversight in the inpatient setting. An outpatient Program is just beginning to be developed. The clinical service provides primarily consultative care to children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions although will assume primary coverage many times for children at end-of-life. The Program is designed to be a proactive service being involved in the care of these children very early in their disease trajectory. The Program cares for children and their families with a wide array of clinical conditions including cancer, chromosomal abnormalities, severe trauma, neuromuscular disorders, complex gastrointestinal conditions, congenital heart disorders and renal transplant recipients.

We also work closely with several of the local hospices to help assure quality end-of-life care for children outside the hospital. As well as with our Adult Palliative Care Program who provides Fellowship training in the field.

We are seeking a dynamic director that will help lead our efforts in further developing a nascent Palliative Care Program that will assure the highest level of family centered care for children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions within central, northeast and southeast Pennsylvania.

Duties of the Director include but are not limited to:

• Directing the day-to-day activities of the Pediatric Palliative Care Division.
• Providing strategic leadership by working with the Pediatric and Geisinger leaders to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies for the care of children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions.
• Overseeing a bereavement support program for parents and siblings of children who have died.
• Providing education to medical students, pediatric residents, palliative care fellows, nursing staff and other members of the healthcare team.
• Providing administrative oversight of the Palliative Care Program
• Working with local and regional hospices to assure the best care possible for children at end-of-life outside the hospital setting.
• Leading and directing research in the provision of palliative care for children.