Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of General Internal Medicine

Faculty Profiles

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photo Lisa Podgurski, MD

General Internal Medicine

Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine

Medical Director, Magee-Women's Hospital Palliative Care Service

Co-Director, Longitudinal Alliance Project

Email: podgurskil@upmc.edu

Phone: 412-864-2427

Contact
Office: UPMC Montefiore-933W
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
 
Phone: 412-864-2427
Fax: 412-692-4315
E-mail: podgurskil@upmc.edu
Education and Training
Education
BS, Biology-Psychology and Medical Anthropology, Carnegie Mellon University, 2003
MD, Harvard Medical School, 2009
MS, Medical Education, University of Pittsburgh, 2014
Training
Internal Medicine Residency, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2012
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2013
Research Interest
Dr. Podgurski's research interests focus on physician wellbeing, in particular involving mindfulness-based interventions, and on faculty development initiatives, especially as medical educators. She is also interested in assessment of educational interventions in early longitudinal patient contact for medical students and in communication and palliative care at all levels.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Podgurski cares for patients on the inpatient palliative care consult services at UPMC Presbyterian, Montefiore, and Magee-Womens hospitals primarily, and occasionally at UPMC Shadyside. She is interested in supportive care for maximizing quality of life of all patients with serious illness. Her outpatient clinics focus on palliative and supportive care for women with breast or gynecologic cancer.
Educational Interest
Dr. Podgurski is a clinician-educator with interest in teaching medical professionals at all levels skills involved in high quality palliative care, including symptom management, prognostication, and communication skills required for delivering serious news, managing conflict, and advance care planning. She has served as a facilitator for intensive, practice-based communication skills training workshops following the VitalTalk model, and organized the first GynOncoTalk workshop in this model in 2016.

She teaches mindfulness-based self-care for health care providers and facilitates a monthly Psychosocial Rounds for the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics. She has also been involved with educational efforts to promote provider engagement with patients' spiritual needs.
Publications
Selected Publications:
El-Jawahri, A, Podgurski, L M, Eichler, A F, Plotkin, S R, Temel, J S, Mitchell, S L, Chang, Y, Barry, M J, Volandes, A E. Use of Video to Facilitate End-of-Life Discussions with Patients with Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2010; 28(2): 305-310.
Podgurski, L M, Hou, G, Shaffer, K. CT Imaging of a Pancreatic Pseudocyst: Clinical and Anatomic Implications. Radiology Case Reports http://radiology.casereports.net/index.php/rcr/article/view/107/329. 2007; 2(4).
Podgurski, L M. PTSD from ICD Shocks. University of Pittsburgh, Section of Palliative Care & Medical Ethics: Case of the Month. 2013; 13(23).
Podgurski, M J, Podgurski, L M. On Death and Dying. Ask Mary Jo advice column, Observer Reporter Newspaper (Washington, Pennsylvania). 2013.
Podgurski, L M. What is Palliative Home Care?. University of Pittsburgh, Section of Palliative Care & Medical Ethics: Case of the Month. 2013; 13(29).
Podgurski, L M. How Long is Too Long? Complicated Grief. University of Pittsburgh, Section of Palliative Care & Medical Ethics: Case of the Month. 2014; 14(42).