Division of Palliative Medicine

Our mission is to improve care and quality of life for people living with serious illness.

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Our compassionate physicians, advanced care providers, social workers, nurses and patient/program supports provide specialized team-based medical care to patients. We are available to patients with serious illness while hospitalized and in the ambulatory setting. Our outpatient care is heavily focused on supportive care for patients with active cancer, although we recently expanded to include non-cancer serious illness for goals of care discussions.

Mary S. Kraemer, MD

Mary S. Kraemer, MD
Head, Division of Palliative Medicine

We address the symptoms and stress of serious illness in the following ways:

  • Provision of expert communication about illness, options of care and prognosis while exploring patient’s values and priorities so that we may better align their goals of care to available treatments.

  • Management of complex symptoms and distress associated with serious illness, particularly in patients with active cancer.

  • Commitment to training our health care workforce in primary skills in person-centered care and communication.

  • We are academically housed in the Department of Medicine and part of MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper.
     

At a Glance

1st
Allopathic hospice and palliative medicine fellowship in South Jersey
6+
Board-certified palliative medicine physicians
2000+
New patients seen in consultation annually
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Education

Our faculty is academically vibrant. We are well-represented at Cooper Medical School at Rowan University, teaching throughout the 4-year curriculum, leading interprofessional education and small group learning courses. We host a variety of Graduate Medical Trainees at both the resident and fellow level from across specialties on elective with us.

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Research

Our research is focused on improving access, delivery, and the quality of palliative care provided to our patients.  We also seek to ensure outreach to historically marginalized patients, and work to improve patient safety metrics and avoid readmissions, especially near the end of life.

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Patient Care

Our clinicians provide exceptional, patient-centered care that emphasizes relief from suffering, effective symptom management, and comprehensive support for patients and families. Through a multidisciplinary model grounded in respect and humanism, we ensure that each patient’s care plan reflects their goals, values, and definition of quality of life.

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