Welcome to the UConn inter-professional palliative care fellowship website! Our program is one of just a few in the country to offer an inter-disciplinary training experience and the only one to do so from the inception of the training program. We seek to train physicians and advanced practitioners (e.g. APRNs) as fellow learners in an environment rich in clinical experience and opportunities for practice and growth.

While the HPM fellowship program is new, it joins a robust environment for clinical learning. UConn is home to hundreds of physician trainees. The UConn palliative care team has both broad breadth and depth of clinical practice, as well as extensive experience in educational and program development. UConn, with over $130 million in NIH funding, also provides the infra-structure and mentorship to pursue scholarly work for those who are interested.

Coming to UConn HPM fellowship means to you will join an exceptionally talented and supportive team. Each team member is passionate about the work we do. Personally, I love hearing the stories (and lessons) that patients share with me in clinic. I really appreciate the questions and views that students and residents bring forward. My work constantly challenges me to think or re-think my own perspective, to read more, and to incorporate new knowledge into my practice.  While sometimes the work of palliative care is emotional, I find meaning in both the tears and the laughter (yes, we do laugh!). For me, moments of frustration are outweighed by moments of satisfaction. Personally, I feel blessed to care for patients at a vulnerable time in their life and I feel very luck to work with this tremendous team. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions as you read more about our program.

Mary K. Buss, MD, MPH
Program Director, UConn Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship

Welcome to the UConn Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

Welcome to the UConn Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program. We are honored that you are considering this unique opportunity to advance your clinical expertise, leadership skills, and professional development as a future palliative care specialist.

As the first Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship in Connecticut and the first interprofessional physician-nurse practitioner fellowship of its kind in the state, our program was intentionally designed to foster collaborative learning, mentorship, and team-based care. Among the few palliative care fellowship programs nationwide to offer a truly interprofessional training experience, UConn Health is unique in having embedded this physician-nurse practitioner model from the fellowship's inception. Fellows learn alongside physician colleagues while gaining the specialized knowledge, confidence, and leadership skills needed to become future leaders in palliative care.

At UConn Health, fellows are immersed in a culture of nursing excellence where compassion, collaboration, integrity, and innovation are highly valued. As part of the University of Connecticut, fellows train within a vibrant academic health system that maintains a close relationship with the nationally recognized Elizabeth C. DeLuca School of Nursing. This academic healthcare environment is enriched by a longstanding commitment to nursing education, scholarship, leadership, and interprofessional collaboration, fostering opportunities for mentorship, professional growth, and engagement while preparing future nurse practitioner leaders in palliative care.

Our fellows train within a well-established and highly respected palliative care program, gaining experience across inpatient, outpatient, and hospice settings. Through close mentorship from experienced nurse practitioners, physicians, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, and other interdisciplinary team members, fellows develop expertise in pain and symptom management, serious illness communication, goals-of-care discussions, quality improvement, and systems-based practice.

One of the hallmarks of our program is the exceptional team with whom you will train. Our palliative care nurse practitioners are experienced clinicians, educators, mentors, and leaders whose clinical expertise, professionalism, and commitment to teaching create an outstanding learning environment for future palliative care specialists. Fellows receive mentorship from a distinguished team of Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN®)-certified nurse practitioners, reflecting the program's commitment to clinical excellence, specialty certification, and the development of future leaders in palliative care.

As Connecticut's public academic health center, UConn Health is committed to addressing the growing need for specialty palliative care. With an anticipated shortage of specialty-trained palliative care nurse practitioners nationwide, we view fellowship training as an important investment in developing the next generation of nurse practitioner leaders who will expand access to high-quality serious illness care across Connecticut and beyond.

Joining our fellowship means becoming part of a compassionate team dedicated to improving the lives of patients and families facing serious illness. We are honored to walk alongside patients during some of life's most vulnerable moments and are committed to preparing nurse practitioners who lead with expertise, collaboration, and compassion.

Thank you for your interest in our program. We look forward to welcoming you to the UConn Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship community.

Sarah Loschiavo, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN
Nursing Director-Palliative Medicine, Supportive Care & Hospice| John Dempsey Hospital
Palliative Care Fellowship Nursing Director |UConn Health
100 Hospital Drive, Farmington, CT 06030
DL-PalliativeCareNPFellowshipApplicants@uchc.edu

Dawn Monahan, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN
Lead Inpatient Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner| John Dempsey Hospital
Palliative Care Fellowship Coordinator |UConn Health
100 Hospital Drive, Farmington, CT 06030
DL-PalliativeCareNPFellowshipApplicants@uchc.edu