Palliative Care

The Division of Palliative Care in the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is dedicated to research, education, quality improvement and advocacy of pediatric palliative care.

Our clinical affiliate at Lurie Children's focuses on improving quality of life and comfort at the end of life and collaborating with the child’s medical team to ensure clear communication and alignment of goals and interventions.

Pediatric palliative care may mean help with challenging symptom management, help navigating difficult decision-making, or just thinking about how to ensure that a child with complex needs gets the best care possible. Our aim is to explore patient and family hopes, fears, and values in an ongoing manner in order to keep their goals of care at the center of decision-making, especially in the setting of complex medical issues with uncertain prognoses."

Natalia Henner, MD
Interim Division Head, Palliative Care

What We Do

Education

We offer a one-year, ACGME-accredited fellowship in hospice and palliative medicine, co-sponsored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Our faculty also offers clinical electives and didactics for residents, fellows and medical students at Lurie Children’s and Feinberg.

Explore our Fellowships

Patient Care

Our multidisciplinary team provides inpatient and outpatient consultation for symptom management and complex medical decision-making.

Our faculty, with expertise in oncology, critical care and neonatology, collaborates with service providers such as chaplaincy and creative arts to align care with family goals.

Find Patient Care

Research

Our faculty participate in research focused on:

Family involvement in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit end-of-life decisions
Ethical challenges in complex pediatric care.
Parents’ use of social media during critical illness.
Integrating palliative care into advanced pediatric cancer treatment.

View our publications

Advocacy

Our members lead advocacy efforts to expand palliative care access for refugees, underserved U.S. populations and the developing world.

Faculty also hold leadership roles in the American Association for Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Learn about our advocacy

Meet the Team

Faculty

EXPLORE OUR FACULTY PROFILES

Contact Us

CONNECT WITH OUR DIVISION

Your support is important in helping us continue to make a difference in the lives of patients and families.

Our hospital and research center relies on philanthropic funding to enhance its programs, services and research for children. To learn more, please contact the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation at foundation@luriechildrens.org or call 312-227-7500.

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