Congratulations to the NPCRC Grantees for 2009!

The National Palliative Care Research Center and the American Cancer Society announced the recipients for a total of $1.5 million in grants this week. It is wonderful to see a growth in research awards for palliative care, because as the NPCRC tagline says:

"Without research, palliative care is an art, not a science."

Here are the brief reviews of the grantees and their projects. Check the NPCRC for more details.

Kyle R. Allen, DO Summa Health System

Study to test the effectiveness of an in-home interdisciplinary care management intervention for improving global measures of quality palliative care

Jane L. Givens, MD, MSCE Hebrew SeniorLife

Study the mental health of family members of nursing home residents with advanced dementia.

Scott A. Irwin, MD, PhD The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice

Dr. Irwin will assess the feasibility of conducting a randomized, controlled, safety and efficacy trial of rapidly treating major depressive episodes with methylphenidate monotherapy in patients receiving hospice care.

Jennifer W. Mack, MD, MPH Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children's Hospital Boston

Evaluate the relationship between hope and prognostic disclosure among parents of children with advanced cancer.

Ramona Rhodes, MD, MPH Brown University

Examine racial differences in the perception of the quality of hospice care by examining hospice-level variability associated with African American perceptions of the quality of hospice services and to identify processes of care that can reduce these disparities.

Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH University of California, San Francisco

Investigate emergency department use at the end of life.