Mount Nittany Health is pleased to announce that Patricia Fogelman, DNP joins Mount Nittany Health as the Clinical Director of Palliative Medicine.

“The excellent reputation of the Mount Nittany Medical Center, the beauty of the region, and its proximity to older, beloved family members brought us to this area,” said Dr. Fogelman. “This region serves a broad range of patients with complex, diverse needs for which palliative medicine integration is a cornerstone of optimizing their well-being. It was an opportunity I could not let pass me by – the chance to live somewhere beautiful, do the good work I love doing, and make an impact in the communities I serve and live in is a gift, to be honest.”

Dr. Fogelman holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and human development from SUNY Geneseo, a Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing from Pace University, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Columbia University. She has over two decades of experience in Pulmonary/Critical Care and Palliative Medicine, and has focused her clinical work solely in Palliative Medicine for the last five years. She is a national educator and has extensively published palliative care textbook chapters, journal articles and actively serves on Palliative Care Task Forces for the American Thoracic Society and the Society for Critical Care Medicine.  She was at the forefront of building Columbia University Medical Center’s Lung Transplant Program and Center for Advanced Lung Disease.

Recently Dr. Fogelman played a role in developing the nation's first pulmonary-palliative clinic and co-authored the American Thoracic Society Official Policy Statement on Palliative Care Early in the Care Continuum among Patients with Serious Respiratory Illness.

"I adore my work in palliative medicine because it is where we are allowed to create a sacred space of trust and respect with our patients, their families, and caregivers," said Dr. Fogelman. "This specialty allows me to focus on delivering whole-person care. No one is left behind with palliative medicine collaboration."

Palliative Medicine works with a patient’s healthcare providers to provide relief from the symptoms of any advanced illness, which may include pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, and difficulty sleeping, and more, with a goal to help patients enjoy the best quality of life. Palliative Medicine is for any patient with a serious, advanced illness, at any age, and these may often be life limiting or life-threatening illnesses. Palliative Medicine helps care for some of the sickest and most vulnerable patients in our medical center and in the communities we serve. If you’re sick and it’s serious, Palliative Medicine can help as part of a comprehensive care plan.

Patricia follows in the footsteps of her mother, who was an operating room nurse for 40 years. Her mother emigrated from India, worked hard to build a good life for her family, and pushed Dr. Fogelman and her brother to excel in work and school.

Dr. Fogelman, a speaker of the South Indian dialect Malayam, was also inspired by her mother's journey with Alzheimer's Disease.

“The experience of encountering healthcare from a patient perspective for the first time was scary,” Dr. Fogelman said. “I learned a valuable lesson from our Alzheimer’s journey with Mom. Every encounter with a patient, their family or caregiver is an opportunity to treat every patient the way I would want the person I loved most, my mom, to be treated. My personal mission every day when I come into work is to help reduce human suffering, in whatever way best meets my patient’s needs.