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Jennifer Tjia, MD, MSCE |
UMass Medical School geriatrics expert Jennifer Tjia, MD, MSCE, has been named a fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The academy is the professional organization for physicians who care for patients with serious illness. Advancement to fellowship status within the academy honors dedication to and scholarship in the field of the hospice and palliative medicine.
“I have dedicated my clinical and research career to optimizing the delivery of authentic, goal-oriented health care for older adults with advanced illness,” said Dr. Tjia, associate professor of population & quantitative health sciences and medicine. “Being a part of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine has been a valuable piece of that work because they were supportive of my early research in discontinuing medications to reduce polypharmacy and improve patient outcomes.”
A practicing geriatric physician and research associate of the Meyers Primary Care Institute at UMMS, Tjia studies health services and pharmacoepidemiology to optimize the use of chronic prescription medication by older adults, particularly in nursing home residents who have advanced dementia and are near the end of life. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging and the U. S. Agency for Healthcare Research. She is co-author of “Appropriate Approach to Prescribing” in the 6th edition of Hazzard’s Principles of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology.
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is the only national medical specialty society for hospice and palliative medicine. It supports practitioners with professional education and training, development of a specialist workforce, support for clinical practice standards, research, and advocacy.
“The academy is a forward thinking and proactive organization that is committed to improving the care of patients with life-threatening or serious conditions,” said Tjia. “I am grateful to be a part of, and recognized by, such a wonderful group of clinicians and researchers.”
She will receive the designation of fellow at the academy’s annual assembly in March.
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