JoAnne Nowak, MD, Medical Director for Merrimack Valley Hospice, recently earned the designation Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). The Academy is the professional organization for physicians who care for patients with serious illness. Advancement to Fellowship status within the academy honors dedication to and scholarship in the field of the hospice and palliative medicine. This distinction represents a minimum of 5 years of membership, participation in AAHPM activities, letters of recommendation, and board certification in hospice and palliative medicine. Dr. Nowak will receive official designation during the AAHPM annual assembly in San Diego, California in March 2014.
“Dr. Nowak’s achievement of Fellow status demonstrates her commitment to our patients and is reflective of her medical expertise, teaching experience and compassionate approach to quality end-of-life care” said John G. Albert, MBA, FACHE, President / CEO of Home Health Foundation, the parent organization for Merrimack Valley Hospice, Home Health VNA and HomeCare, Inc. We are all very proud of her significant advancement in her specialty of hospice and palliative care.”
“It is such an honor to advance to the status of Fellow and to be recognized by this prestigious organization,” said Dr. Nowak. “As the leader in the field, the AAHPM is committed to strengthening the specialty of hospice and palliative medicine. I look forward to working with the Academy to further their mission of quality hospice and palliative care for patients and families.”
Dr. Nowak earned her medical degree from Boston University and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Boston Veterans Administration Hospital. She completed a fellowship in Palliative Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Nowak serves as a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care, and the Hospice and Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts. She lectures both locally and nationally about end-of-life issues.
AAHPM membership includes more than 4,900 physicians and other healthcare professionals. Since 1988, AAHPM has supported hospice and palliative medicine through advancement of clinical practice standards, fostering research, providing education, and through public policy advocacy.