Jessica McFarlin, MD
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012
Current role: University of Kentucky, Division Chief Palliative and Supportive Care, Associate Professor of Neurology
Jessica McFarlin, MD, is an Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Kentucky. She is the Chief of the University of Kentucky Division of Palliative and Supportive Care in the Department of Internal Medicine. The mission of the division is to increase patient access to palliative care and create educational opportunities for healthcare providers throughout the Bluegrass. She received her medical degree from the University of Kentucky. Jessica then completed her residency and dual fellowship training at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. She is board certified in Neurology and Hospice and Palliative Medicine as well as Neuro Critical Care. Jessica’s academic practice focuses on communication training of physicians and in the delivery of high-quality palliative care in patients in the intensive care setting. Over the past few years the importance of treating the palliative care needs of patients with neurologic illness has gained momentum and Jessica has been able to use her Neurology training to bring this curriculum to national meetings and in individual Neurology training programs. Jessica is married to Jason Hall, also a Kentucky native. They are begrudgingly remodeling a 120-year-old home in downtown Lexington.
Career interests: Current interests include learning how to incorporate teaching leadership skills during fellowship and increasing her ability to mentor and sponsor junior faculty.
Major accomplishments since completing fellowship: After working in both Neuro ICU and Inpatient Palliative Care as a junior faculty at Duke I moved back to Kentucky. I started the Division of Palliative and Supportive Care at UK at that time. I am most proud of being part of a culture change at UK that has transitioned the idea of palliative care being for patients at end of life to becoming an expected part of all patient’s care. We have trainees from all of the Healthcare Colleges at UK rotate with us including pharmacy and social work. Residents from medicine, surgery and PMNR programs request electives with us. Fellows from pain, critical care, oncology and surgery specialties spend time with our team with curriculum created to meet their needs.
What are you working on now? Currently I am working with researchers in our cancer center to understand how an intervention to explore hope and goal disruption affects mental health in patients with advanced lung cancer.
Career goals: To like my job every day and support a team and healthcare system that does the same!
"I chose to complete a fellowship, even though I was in the last year of being able to 'grandfather' into palliative care. Without the fellowship I would not have understood that a palliative care TEAM is key to high quality care of a patient and also for the wellness of the people on the team."