In this episode, frontline physicians discuss the critical role social workers play on healthcare teams and the need to change current policy to support patients. Partnership with healthcare system leadership, patient advocacy, clinical advisement, differences between VA and private,systems, and more are all topics in this dynamic discussion!
Dr. Sarguni Singh is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She served as a Health and Aging Policy Fellow on the United States Senate Committee on Finance. Dr. Singh’s research interests focus on improving palliative care outcomes for older adults with serious illness and functional decline in acute and post-acute care settings. She is studying a novel palliative care delivery model for hospitalized older adults with cancer and their caregivers discharged to skilled nursing facilities.
Dr. Onyema Okolo-Taku is a hematologist and medical oncologist currently practicing at Ironwood Cancer and Research in Phoenix, Arizona. She has always been interested in the fast moving developments in the field of hematology and oncology as well as having the opportunity to guide patients through what can often be a very difficult time, using the most current treatment interventions while emphasizing patient-physician partnership with the overall goal of quality of life. Her interest in integrative oncology perfectly complements her interest in hematology and oncology as it allows her to treat patients’ symptoms with a variety of techniques, while also providing the opportunity to counsel, educate, conduct research and interventions with evidence based complimentary practices. She has publications in hematology, oncology, and integrative oncology ranging from case reports to literature reviews, as well as retrospective research. Another big interest is community engagement and health disparities. Dr. Okolo-Taku believes that provision of healthcare to all, regardless of race, gender, religion, or culture leads to better medicine. Community engagement leads to more trust in physicians as well as willingness on the side of the patient, to be more proactive in their health.
Dr. Deborah Freeland is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Her love for older adults started in college when she was working as a certified nurse assistant in a local nursing home. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Johns Hopkins Bayview, and returned to UT Southwestern Medical Center for her Geriatrics fellowship. Her clinical focus is on home-based primary care for older adults with specific interests in health equity and promoting advance care planning. Her medical education focus is on developing intergenerational programs to promote positive interactions between generations to help change society’s views on aging for the better.
Dr. Shilpa Junna is currently a transplant hepatology fellow at the University of Michigan and is a board certified internist and gastroenterologist. Her passions include advocacy for expedited liver transplant evaluation and fair organ allocation, prevention of portal hypertension related complications in liver disease, and healthcare disparities in gastrointestinal cancer screening.
Dr. Sanjay Dronavalli is a primary care physician board certified in Family Medicine. Dr. Dronavalli is currently in a Masters in Movement Science program at the University of Michigan while working part time as an urgent care physician in the Ann Arbor community. My interests include obesity medicine and exercise prescription counseling through primary care.