Hospice & Palliative Medicine Faculty and Staff

• Clinical Chief, Section of Palliative Care
• Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Kathleen Lee, MD received her BA at Cornell University and participated in the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Pennsylvania before attending the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She then completed internal medicine residency at Brown University, and returned to Mount Sinai for her hospice and palliative medicine fellowship, staying on as faculty before being recruited to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital (DFCI/BWH). At DFCI/BWH, she served as inpatient palliative care consult director and leader of the Heme-Pal initiative, building collaborative relationships between the divisions of Hematologic Malignancy and Palliative Care. Kathleen joined BIDMC in June 2020, initially as the Palliative Care Section's inpatient medical director and now serves as its clinical chief.

Her academic interests center on process improvement and clinical innovation related to inpatient palliative care delivery. She also dedicates time facilitating serious illness communication skills training courses. Outside of work, Kathleen enjoys exploring the Arnold Arboretum with her husband, daughter, and two dogs.

Dr. Maxine de la Cruz received her medical degree from the University of the Philippines. She proceeded to complete her training in Internal Medicine and Geriatric Medicine fellowship at the State University of New York in Brooklyn. She then pursued further training in Palliative Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. She was a geriatric and palliative care faculty at the University of Texas Health Science in Houston. She then proceeded to work as faculty in the Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research interests include delirium, frailty, cachexia, spirituality and psychosocial issues in cancer and health service outcomes.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Staff Physician, Healthcare Associates
• Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Anya Lepp, MD currently practices both as palliative care specialist and a primary care physician at BIDMC. She graduated from Wesleyan University, Harvard Medical School, completed primary care residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and fellowship through the Harvard Palliative Care Fellowship. She supervises BIDMC and VA HPM fellows during their BIDMC inpatient rotations, and facilitates the journal club for fellowship. She spends the rest of her time chasing after her son and daughter, though is generally unsuccessful secondary to their expert use of scooters.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Staff Physician, Hospital Medicine
• Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Cindy Lien, MD is an Internal Medicine Hospitalist and Palliative Care Physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). She serves as a teaching attending and mentor to internal medicine housestaff, pain fellows, and palliative care fellows. She has been instrumental in the growth of the BIDMC palliative care consult service and in the development of clinical rotations for internal medicine housestaff and anesthesia pain fellows. She is an active educator in palliative medicine within the Harvard community and beyond, including national meetings of the American Academy of Hospital Medicine (AAHPM) and Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM). Her academic interests focus on quality improvement in end-of-life care. Key projects have included a study demonstrating significant variability in opioid-infusion practices and the creation of hospital-wide comfort-care guidelines. She is currently working on a project to determine whether BIDMC primary care patients with a high mortality index can benefit from early introduction to palliative care at the time of hospitalization.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Staff Physician, Emergency Medicine

Brian Gacioch, MD (he/him/his) is an attending physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine, as well as the Section of Palliative Medicine in the Department of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and he serves as an Instructor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree from the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, after which he completed residency training in emergency medicine at BIDMC, where he also served as Chief Resident in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Gacioch then served on active duty in the United States Air Force, and, following his discharge, returned to BIDMC where he completed a clinical fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Dr. Gacioch practices emergency medicine at various community hospitals within the Beth Israel Lahey Health system, as well as both emergency and palliative medicine at BIDMC in Boston. His teaching and research focus is on improving care of patients with advanced illnesses in the emergency department and acute care hospital setting. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, hiking, skiing, traveling with his wife, and spending time with his family.

• Staff Physician, Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Harry Han, MD is an attending physician in the Section of Palliative Care at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He graduated from Rice University with a degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and completed medical school at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He did his internal medicine residency at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI).

Dr. Han's academic interests include the evaluation of palliative care delivery models in specific patient populations and palliative care education at the UME and GME level. Outside the hospital, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts, and trying out different cuisines.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Aaron A. Kuntz, MD currently practices as both an inpatient and outpatient palliative care specialist at BIDMC. He graduated from Northeast Ohio Medical University, completed Internal Medicine residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Education program, and fellowship at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Palliative Care Program.

He also completed two years of Advanced Geriatrics fellowship with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Madison Wisconsin, where he explored integration of palliative care into the care of older adults with complex illnesses, such as dementia. He has a passion for quality improvement and improving systems of care, and in his free time enjoys trying new breakfast foods, playing board games, and visiting museums.

Patrick W. Malecha, MD is an Attending Physician in Palliative Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. Patrick completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship at MGH/DFCI/BWH. His clinical interests include palliative care for patients with chronic heart, lung, and liver disease, palliative care in the intensive care unit, and medical student and resident education. Outside of the hospital, Patrick enjoys waking up early on weekends to watch soccer, watching movies to prepare for his family’s annual Academy Awards competition, and cheering on Minnesota sports teams despite annual disappointment.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Staff Physician, Gerontology
• Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School

Jeremy Whyman, MD is an Attending Physician in the Section of Palliative Care, Division of Aging and Division of General Medicine and an Instructor in Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) /Harvard Medical School in Boston. Clinically, he attends on the inpatient palliative care consultation service, the inpatient geriatrics service, and has a robust outpatient Geriatrics practice. He is also the associate director of Geriatric educational programs at BIDMC and is a preceptor in the Principles of Medicine course at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Whyman studied history with a focus on the US government's role in atrocities internationally as an undergraduate. Dr. Whyman completed his internship and residency at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where he distinguished himself as a medical educator, receiving the chair's award for excellence in teaching and education. Dr. Whyman then completed a dual fellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, where he also served as chief fellow. In his spare time, Dr. Whyman enjoys traveling with his wife, gardening, following politics, cooking and spending time with his family.

• Staff Physician, Inpatient Palliative Care Consultation Service
• Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School

Jonathan Yeh, MD is a palliative care specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. He graduated from Yale College with a double major in Molecular/Cellular/Developmental Biology and History of Science & Medicine. He then completed medical school, internal medicine residency, and fellowship training at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Yeh's clinical practice focuses on using expert symptom management and honest, empathetic communication to help patients and families deal with serious illness at any stage. His research interests include improving outcomes for patients with advanced cancer, reducing burdensome transitions of care and repeat hospitalizations in older adults, and training a new groundswell of clinicians with key palliative care skills. Dr. Yeh lives with his wife Jane in Boston, MA, and he is an avid landscape photographer, traveler, reader, writer, and poet in his spare time.

• Outpatient Palliative Care Service

Bridget Fitzgerald is a board-certified Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner in the outpatient palliative care clinic. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Boston College and a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Vanderbilt University. She is currently enrolled in a doctoral program at Vanderbilt University with her research focused on opioid safety in outpatient palliative care. She previously worked as a bedside nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in inpatient medicine for several years. She then completed an Oncology and Supportive Care Nurse Practitioner Fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In her free time, she enjoys running and hiking with her rescue dog, Beau.

• Inpatient Palliative Care Service

Kaitlin Kirby is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire and a Master’s degree from Simmons University. Since 2014, she has worked for Beth Israel as a clinical nurse on a general medicine floor. More recently, Kaitlin has worked as a Nurse Practitioner in an outpatient mental health organization, specializing in therapeutic support, resource advocacy, and medication management. She is interested in the complex interlace between physical and emotional health. Kaitlin appreciates the value of building relationships with patients, emphasizing mutual respect and open communication. On a personal note, Kaitlin was born and raised in Massachusetts and enjoys reading, being active outdoors, or simply sitting on a beach in New England.

• Palliative Care Nurse Coordinator

Lynn Valencia graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a bachelor’s degree in Nursing. Lynn started her nursing career at South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth, MA. She then went on to work almost 19 years at Milford Regional Medical Center as a bedside nurse. Lynn received training in palliative care through the ELNEC Train-the-Trainer program allowing her to then train other nurses throughout the hospital in palliative care. Prior to becoming a nurse, Lynn graduated from Bryant University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Lynn is married with two daughters who are in college. She enjoys reading, taking walks and spending time with her family and friends. 

• Chaplain, Palliative Oncology Service

Nancy Raines is an Interfaith Chaplain on the Palliative Oncology supportive staff team. She received her Masters in Divinity degree from Harvard University, and did her clinical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Nancy also holds a Masters in Fine Arts degree in dance from Smith College, and a BA from Brown University. A fluent Spanish speaker, she was a Staff Chaplain at MGH before working in New York City in hospice, providing care to the Latinx community. It is her mission to offer culturally sensitive care, and to provide a sense of openness and presence with patients and families. Nancy teaches meditation and incorporates that experience into her chaplaincy practice.

Shana Sklar, LICSW is a licensed clinical social worker for the general palliative care inpatient consult service. In addition, she provides social work services in the BIDMC outpatient palliative care clinic. She graduated from Pomona College with a degree in sociology and received a Master’s degree in Social Work from Columbia University. Shana has worked in various clinic settings, including hospice, inpatient geriatric psychiatry and senior living. Her professional interests include individual and group counseling, ethics, and program development. In addition to her clinical work, Shana has enjoyed training the next generation of social workers as a field instructor for Boston University and Simmons Schools of Social Work. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, hiking, honing her cooking skills, and spending time with her two young sons.

• Chaplain, Palliative Oncology Service

Sarah Fleming is an interfaith chaplain on the inpatient palliative oncology service. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Williams College and a master’s degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University. Prior to working at BIDMC, she completed her clinical training at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. As a spiritual care provider, she is committed to accompanying patients and families through vulnerable moments and difficult decisions. Her clinical interests include advance care planning, legacy work, and culturally competent end-of-life care. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, rock climbing, and discovering new neighborhood gardens.

• Outpatient Palliative Care Service

Marissa McCann is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist within the Division of Palliative Care. She holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. After graduation, she pursued a PGY1 Pharmacy Practice Residency at BIDMC. She has spent the past almost 17 years as an inpatient clinical pharmacist, in a variety of roles, at BIDMC before transitioning to ambulatory Palliative Care. Marissa’s clinical interests include safe opioid prescribing and substance use disorder. In addition to her clinical work, she enjoys training the next generation of pharmacists as a preceptor for MCPHS and NEU Schools of Pharmacy. On a personal note, Marissa enjoys traveling, shopping, spending as much time as possible with her niece and nephews, and cheering on Pittsburgh sports (let’s go Pens!).

Siobhan joins the palliative care team at BIDMC as a Nurse Coordinator. Her journey to this role began at the Dana Farber Inpatient Hospital at Brigham & Women’s where she was a staff oncology nurse. It was during her time at Brigham & Women's that Siobhan discovered her true passion for palliative care, finding inspiration in the profound positive effect it has on numerous aspects of a patient’s life and the comfort and support it provides to patient’s families. Siobhan earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston. When not caring for patients or spending time with friends and family, Siobhan nurtures her adventurous spirit by exploring different parts of this country and the world. Her travels allow her to immerse herself in diverse cultures and broaden her perspectives.