McPherson Receives Awards for Palliative Care Work

Mary Lynn McPherson is executive director of the Graduate Studies in Palliative Care program.

By Andrew Tie
October 16, 2023

Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, BCPS, professor in the Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research (P-SHOR) and executive director of the Graduate Studies in Palliative Care, has received multiple awards in recognition of her contributions to the field of palliative care.

McPherson has been selected to receive the Fudin Award for Pain and Palliative Care Mentorship, as well as the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Champion Award.

The Fudin Award, given by the Society of Pain & Palliative Care Pharmacists Foundation and Practical Pain Management, honors Jeffrey Fudin, PharmD, FCCP, FASHP, FFSMB, a leader in the palliative care field who died in 2022. The award honors a professional working to educate and mentor other clinicians in the field of chronic pain management through palliative care, advanced pain practice, and/or clinical pharmacy.

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Champion Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant impact on hospice and palliative care through advocacy, community involvement, or practice.

“These are fitting awards for Dr. McPherson, who continues to pave the way for interprofessional and pharmacy education in palliative care,” said Jill A. Morgan, PharmD, BCPS, BCPPS, FNAP, chair and professor of P-SHOR. “Dr. McPherson has made a lasting impact on the field of palliative care through her clinical practice and our graduate program, which has trained hundreds of clinicians across the country and world on how to better care for their patients.”

McPherson started the Graduate Studies in Palliative Care program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in 2017. A fully online program, it began with master’s and graduate certificate tracks but has since added a PhD option, which was the first doctoral program in palliative care of its kind in the United States.

The palliative care graduate programs are delivered online and educate people interested in a deeper understanding of the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of patients and families affected by advanced illness.

A priority of the program is fostering an interprofessional, team-based approach to treatment, much like the students will experience in practice. In each course, students are taught by two or more faculty from different disciplines to model interprofessional practice.

“I feel very honored to have been selected for these two awards,” McPherson said. “I’m particularly honored to be selected for an award named for Dr. Jeff Fudin. Jeff was a dear friend, an excellent sparring partner, and a pioneer in pain management. Educating students and colleagues about pain and palliative care is a passion we shared, and I’m very grateful for the career that I’ve had.”

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