Our one-year fellowship offers a rigorous interdisciplinary education in palliative care at UAB Hospitals, the Birmingham VA Medical Center, and Children's of Alabama. Fellows receive training in the outpatient setting through the UAB Supportive Care & Survivorship Clinic, VA Palliative Care clinic, Pediatric Neuro-Oncology clinic, Adolescent/Young Adult (AYA) Palliative Care clinic, Muscular Dystrophy clinic, and through partnerships with community hospices and long term care facilities. Time devoted to pediatrics can be adjusted based on interest and career goals. See sample clinical schedules below.
Sample Adult Fellow Schedule:
| Months | Service |
| 4 | UAB Inpatient Palliative Care Unit & Consult Service |
| 3 | VA Inpatient Palliative Care Unit & Consult Service |
| 1 | Hospice |
| 1 | Pediatric Inpatient |
| 1 | Long Term Care |
| 1 | Pain |
| 1 | Elective |
Sample Combined Clinician Track Schedule:
| Months | Service |
| 3 | UAB Inpatient |
| 3 | Pediatric Inpatient |
| 2 | VA Inpatient |
| 1 | Hospice |
| 1 | Long Term Care |
| 1 | Pain |
| 1 | Elective |
As a Med-Peds physician, UAB's size and fellowship structure had more flexibility to craft a truly Med-Peds palliative experience. On my long term care month, I rounded with the PMR teams on the pediatric inpatient rehab units in the mornings and then saw nursing home patients with geriatric faculty in the afternoon! An unexpected benefit was in my growth as a clinician educator. I knew how much I enjoyed patient care, but at UAB I also learned how much I love teaching and expanding awareness of my specialty. The faculty at UAB model an exceptional and intentional pedagogy. ~ Dr. Kate McKillip (Class of 2017-2018)
Outpatient Wednesdays
We dedicate one day each week, year-round, to outpatient practice. Fellows alternate in continuity clinics, home-based palliative care and telehealth, and Hospice, serving as an assistant medical director with one of our hospice partners.
| Clinic (Weeks 1 & 2) | Hospice (Weeks 2 & 4) | |
| Morning | Continuity Clinic | Community-Based Interdisciplinary Teams (IDT) Hospice IDT |
| Afternoon | Clinic Care Coordination Self-Study Scholarly Project |
Hospice Home-Based Visits Home-Based Palliative Care |
Education
Fellows have ample protected time to learn from one another and from faculty within our Division and across the UAB medical campus. Didactic sessions are held weekly and are paired with readings from a seminal text and key articles in palliative medicine. Fellows may attend Grand Rounds in various specialties throughout the week as per their area of interest.
| Weekly | Monthly | Quarterly | Annually |
| Diadactics | Case Conference | Communication Workshop | PCLC Training |
| Division Noon Conference | Journal Club | Self-Care Workshop | AAHPM Annual Assembly |
| Specialty Grand Rounds | Director's Rounds | Scholarship/QI Workshop | |
| Interdisciplinary Team Meetings | Medical Education Series |
UAB HPM Fellowship definitely prepares you to be the future leaders in the field…I went from being on a clinical researcher path to being the medical director of palliative care at a large community oncology practice and felt equally prepared for both roles. The wide variety of clinical settings you are exposed to and the sheer volume of patients you see alongside a thoughtful teaching experience (didactics, clinical observation and feedback, workshops, and simulation experiences) all nestled within a division of world-class clinicians from various disciplines, teachers, and researchers makes UAB an extremely valuable training experience. ~ Dr. Sandhya Mudumbi (Class of 2016-2017)