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Roma Tickoo, MD, MPH
I am an internist and a geriatrician who cares for patients with acute and chronic cancer pain and other symptoms resulting from cancer or its treatment. I become involved early in the course of a patient’s care to ensure that the patient and his or her caregivers have the support they need as they make the transition from curative to palliative care – addressing not only physical symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, and nausea, but also non-physical causes of suffering, such as anxiety and depression.
I work with a multidisciplinary team that includes specialists from interventional/anesthesia pain management, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry and behavioral sciences, integrative medicine, chaplaincy, social work, pharmacy, wound care, radiation oncology, neuro-oncology, neurosurgery (the spine team, managing pain and providing palliative care for patients with advanced cancer near the spine or brain that causes discomfort), various oncology teams, and the Urgent Care Center to prevent pain crises and suffering. Together, we work to preserve the function and quality of life of our patients as well as their families.
In addition to my work in the pain and palliative care clinic, I supervise a dedicated outpatient clinic for patients age 65 and older. My colleagues and I manage pain and symptoms in these patients, identify needs that are specific to this age group, and make referrals to other healthcare professionals when necessary.
I also work with patients’ primary care physicians to share decision-making and facilitate access to resources as close to patients' homes as possible. I discuss end-of-life issues with patients and their families and work compassionately with them on advanced care planning. I am also interested in medical bioethics and public policy.
In my research, I am studying hospice and palliative care practices at various facilities and leading a study of end-of-life care and advance directives. I am interested in identifying and addressing barriers to patients' access to pain management, and exploring new pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic approaches to pain management. Together with my colleagues in the Department of Psychiatry, I am involved in research assessing the value of family-focused grief therapy in cancer patients.
Phone
646-888-2694
Education
MD, Government Medical College (Jammu [Tawi], India); MPH, Columbia University
Residencies
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center and Flushing Hospital Medical Center
Fellowships
NYU Medical Center; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
Internal Medicine; Geriatric Medicine; Pain Medicine; Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Clinical Expertise
Pain Management and Palliative Care (including symptom management and supportive care); Geriatric Pain and Symptom Management Medicine
Department & Service
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