People | Faculty
Robert M. Arnold, MD
Leo H. Creip Chair of Patient Care, Department of Medicine
Director, Palliative Care Service
Director of the Institute for Doctor-Patient Communication
University of Pittsburgh
Medical Director Palliative and Supportive Care Institute of UPMC
Contact:
412-692-4834
Address:
UPMC Montefiore
Suite 932W
200 Lothrop Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Related Sites:
Robert M. Arnold is the Center’s Director of Clinical Training. He is a Professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine. In 1997, he formed the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, where he is now Chief. In 2000, Dr. Arnold was named the first Leo H. Creip Chair of Patient Care. The chair emphasizes the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, particularly at the end of life. Dr. Arnold is the Director of the Institute for Doctor-Patient Communication and a Co-Director of the Institute to Enhance Palliative Care. A board-certified internist, he is clinically active in both HIV and palliative care.
Dr. Arnold has published extensively on ethical issues in end-of-life care, hospice and palliative care, doctor-patient communication, and on ethics education. His current research interests are focused on educational interventions to improve communication in life-limiting illnesses and to understand how ethical precepts are implemented in clinical practice. He has been heavily involved in Oncotalk and Oncotalk-Teach, an evidence-based method to teach oncology fellows communication skills. He recently received funding from the National Palliative Care Research Center, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation and the Jewish Health Care Foundation to develop a similar program for intensivists regarding critical care communications. Previously Secretary/Treasurer and National Meeting Chair of the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, he currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Hospice Medicine. He is also a Past President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and of the Society for Health and Human Values (in 1996-1997).
Education
Medical Ethics Practicum Certificate – University of Tennessee, Memphis (1982)
Graduate level philosophy with emphasis on medical ethics – University of Tennessee, Knoxville (1982)
BA – Biology and Philosophy, University of Missouri (1983)
MD – University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine (1986)
Residency – General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital (1986-1988)
Awards, Honors, and Fellowships
University of Missouri-Kansas City Alumnus of the Year Award (2008)
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine/Hospice
and Palliative Nurses Association Pioneer in Palliative Care Award (2008)
Who’s Who in Medical Sciences Education (2005)
Guide to America’s Top Physicians (2003)
American Society of Bioethics and Humanities Distinguished Service Award (2000)
Research and Professional Interests
Undergraduate and graduate medical education for end-of-life care
Doctor-patient Communication
Palliative medicine
Symptom burden in chronic dialysis patients
Selected Publications
Anderson WG, Bryce C, Angus D, Arnold RM. Passive decision-making preference is associated with anxiety and depression in relatives of patients in the intensive care unit. Journal of Critical Care June 2009; 24(2): 249-54.
Goodlin S, Arnold RM, Quill T. Communication and decision making about prognosis in heart failure care. Journal of Cardiac Failure 2008; 14(2): 106-113.
Aulisio M, Arnold RM. The role of the ethics committee: helping to address value conflict or uncertainty. Chest 2008; 134: 417-424.
Arnold RM. Life lessons in palliative care. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2007; 10(5): 1050-53.
Fryer-Edwards K, Arnold RM, Baile W, Tulsky JA, Petracca F, Back A. Reflective teaching practices: an approach to teaching communication skills in a small-group setting. Academic Medicine July 2006; 81(7): 638-44.
Garber M, Arnold RM. Promoting the participation of minorities in research. American Journal of Bioethics May-June 2006; 6(3): W14-20.
Candilis PJ, Lidz CW, Arnold RM. The need to understand IRB deliberations. IRB January-February 2006; 28(1): 1-5.
Bryce CL, Siminoff LA, Ubel PA, Nathan H, Caplan A, Arnold RM. Do incentives matter? Providing benefits to families of organ donors. American Journal of Transplantation December 2005; 5(12): 2999-3008.
Han PK, Arnold RM. Palliative care services, patient abandonment, and the scope of physicians’ responsibilities in end-of-life care. Journal of Palliative Medicine December 2005; 8(6): 1238-45.
Back AL, Arnold RM. Dealing with conflict in caring for the seriously ill: “It was just out of the question.” JAMA March 16, 2005; 293(11): 1374-81.
Degenholtz HB, Rhee Y, Arnold RM. Brief communication: the relationship between having a living will and dying in place. Annals of Internal Medicine July 20, 2004; 141(2): 113-7.
DeVita M, Arnold RM, Barnard D. Teaching Palliative care to Critical Care Medicine Trainees. Critical Care Medicine 2003; 31(4): 1257-62.
Lo B, Ruston D, Date LW, Arnold RM, et al. Discussing religious and spiritual issues at the end of life. A practical guide for physicians. JAMA 2002; 287(6): 749-754.
Younger SJ, Arnold RM. Who will watch the watchers? Hastings Center Report 2002; 32(3): 1-22.
Delmonico FL, Arnold RM, Scheper-Hughes N, Siminoff LA, Kahn J, Younger SJ. Ethical incentives—not payment—for organ donation. New England Journal of Medicine 2002; 346(25): 2002-2005.
