Department of Medicine
Faculty Profiles by Division

Division of General Internal Medicine

Faculty Profiles
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photo Lisa Podgurski, MD, MS, FAAHPM

General Internal Medicine

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Director, Longitudinal Alliance Program

Physician Thrive Wellbeing Champion

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
James T. McLaughlin Psychodynamic Training Program, 2014
Training on Applying Cognitive Behavioral & Related Interventions in Cancer Supportive Care, City of Hope & the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, 2017
Certified Peer Coach Training, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2022
Research Interest
Dr. Podgurski engages in scholarly work on promoting psychological-mindedness among clinicians working with seriously ill patients. This includes developing expert consensus about the most crucial psychological concepts and primary mental health skills for palliative care specialists. This also intersects with her work on clinician wellbeing, where she has published on a mindfulness-based self-care curriculum for an interprofessional group of palliative care clinicians. In her role as leader of the Longitudinal Alliance Program, she is also interested in scholarship on the educational effects of early longitudinal patient contact in undergraduate medical training.
Clinical Interest
Dr. Podgurski cares for patients on the inpatient palliative care consult services at UPMC Shadyside, Magee, and Presbyterian/Montefiore Hospitals. She is interested in supportive care for maximizing quality of life of all patients with serious illness. Her outpatient clinic focuses on palliative and supportive care for people who are living with advanced cancer.
Educational Interest
Dr. Podgurski is a clinician-educator who teaches palliative care skills in the clinical setting. She has a special interest in teaching the psychological elements of palliative care to all levels of learners. This includes a mindfulness-based self-care curriculum for health care clinicians and facilitating a monthly Psychosocial Rounds for the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics. 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.

In the medical school setting, she leads the Longitudinal Alliance Program (LAP) and serves as a Clinical Skills Preceptor. LAP involves pairing first year medical students with people living with chronic illness to foster learning about health and health care from a patient perspective over a period of years. The program also offers exposure to nonphysician roles in health care and promotion of a professional practice of reflecting on patient relationships, including skillfully navigating professional boundaries.
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., Greco, C., Croom, A., Arnold, R., Claxton, R. A Brief Mindfulness-Based Self-Care Curriculum for an Interprofessional Group of Palliative Care Providers. J Palliat Med. 2019; 22(5): 561-565.
Lefkowits, C., Bevis, K., Carey, E. C., Sheeder, J., Arnold, R. M., Podgurski, L. Gynecologic oncology providers endorse practice-changing impact of communication skills training. Gynecol Oncol. 2019; 153(3): 533-538.
Notable Achievements
Recipient, Physician Thrive Grant for Change, 2019, 2022
Fellow, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2022

Division Websites

Cardiology

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition

General Internal Medicine

Geriatric Medicine
Hematology/Oncology

Infectious Diseases

Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine

Renal-Electrolyte

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Contact

Department of Medicine
1218 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Email:  chairoff@pitt.edu
Phone:  412-648-9636
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