"Care at the Crossroads: Substance Use Disorders, Chronic Pain, and Palliative Care"

Speaker:

Julie W. Childers, M.D., FAAHPM, FASAM
Professor of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

About Julie Childers:

Dr. Childers's research interests are in teaching communication, including discussions about prescribing high-risk medications such as opioids, medical ethics, and managing addiction in patients with serious illness. Her clinical interests include addiction medicine and palliative medicine. She attends on both the inpatient Addiction Medicine Consult Service and the Palliative Medicine Consult Service at Presbyterian Hospital. She also practices outpatient Addiction Medicine and Palliative Medicine at the Internal Medicine Recovery Engagement Program, located at Mercy.

Dr. Childers teaches at the medical student, resident, fellow, and faculty level and has developed and directed courses in end-of-life communication, motivational interviewing, and communicating about opioid prescribing. She is a Distinguished Faculty member for VitalTalk and trains new communication teachers locally and nationally. Dr. Childers developed the Addiction Medicine Fellowship within DGIM, which received ACGME accreditation in 2019, and serves as its program director. In 2021, she was elected to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators.