Project Leads
Improving Life with CF
A Palliative Care Partnership
Anna Georgiopoulos, MD
Consulting Psychiatrist, Cystic Fibrosis Program
Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Anna Georgiopoulos is a psychiatrist and researcher with expertise in ADD, depression, and anxiety among individuals with chronic illness. One of Dr. Georgiopoulos’s specialty lies in working with adults and youth with cystic fibrosis.
Lara Dhingra, PhD
Director of Clinical Studies & Disparities Research
MJHS Institute
Dr. Lara Dhingra is a clinical psychologist with expertise in multidisciplinary palliative care and health services research. Her research focuses on innovative models of palliative care for individuals with chronic illness and their caregivers.
Research Coordination Team
Stephanie DiFiglia, PhD
MJHS Institute
Research Advisor
Nivedita Chaudhary
Massachusetts General Hospital
CF Team Project Manager
Ruobin Wei, MPH
Massachusetts General Hospital
CF Team Research Coordinator
Tara Mullen, BA
Massachusetts General Hospital
CF Team Research Coordinator
Advisory Board
MGH and MJHS partnered with four CF Centers for the Improving Life with CF Study
Deborah Friedman, PhD
CF Clinical Psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Site Lead
Lael Yonker, MD
CF Pediatric Pulmonologist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Site Lead
Russell Portenoy, MD
Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Co-Investigator
Rachel Linnemann, MD
CF Pediatric Pulmonologist at Emory University
Co-Site Lead
Brandi Middour-Oxler, DNP
CF Transition Nurse Practitioner at Emory University
Co-Site Lead
Maria Berdella, MD
CF Pediatric Pulmonologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Co-Site Lead
Pat Walker, MD
CF Adult Pulmonologist at Mount Sinai Beth Israel
Co-Site Lead
Janice Wang, MD
CF Adult Pulmonologist at Northwell Health
Site Lead
Cathy Kier, MD
CF Pediatric Pulmonologist at Stony Brook Health
Co-Site Lead
Denis Hadjiliadis, MD
CF Pulmonologist/Palliative Medicine Fellow,
University of Pennsylvania
Expert Consultant
Martha Markovitz, LCSW
CF Social Worker, University of Southern California
Expert Consultant
Francine Fischer
Parent Caregiver of Adult with CF
Community Member
Melissa Shiffman
Adult with CF
Community Member
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is a teaching hospital, a founding member of Partners HealthCare, Inc., and an affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Founded in 1811, MGH is a premier research and clinical institution, including the internationally recognized MGH Cystic Fibrosis Center, a combined pediatric and adult cystic fibrosis (CF) program serving nearly 250 individuals with CF. Care at MGH’s CF Center focuses on both physical and mental health promotion for individuals with CF and their caregivers. The Center’s multidisciplinary team of clinical researchers has developed and disseminated innovations in best practices to improve the quality of mental health care for CF worldwide.
The MJHS Institute was established in 2014 by the New York-based, not-for-profit MJHS Health System. Closely aligned with a large clinical organization, MJHS Hospice and Palliative Care, the MJHS Institute’s mission is to advance specialist palliative care through professional education and research. Its multidisciplinary faculty oversees interprofessional on-site training programs and a robust online education resource. The Institute’s research is focused on health services research, clinical trials, population health studies using large administrative datasets, and surveys of populations with serious chronic illness.