DUARTE, Calif., July 17, 2008 – City of Hope has appointed Jay R. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., a prominent physician and research scientist in palliative care, as chair of its recently established Department of Supportive Care Medicine. Thomas will lead a department that unites all of City of Hope’s palliative care and psychosocial support programs, such as patient support groups and clinical social work, under one multidisciplinary umbrella.
City of Hope is one of the first institutions in the nation to integrate the various supportive care programs into one overarching practice that addresses the spectrum of care, from medical treatment to psychological support, available to cancer patients and their families. The department encompasses a wide variety of professionals — such as pain physicians, clinical social workers, psychiatrists, psychologists and spiritual care providers — from several current ivisions. It also integrates related programs at City of Hope including Supportive and Palliative Care, Pain Management, Psychiatry, Psychology, Clinical Social Work, Spiritual Care, Patient Navigation, and Patient, Family & Community Education. Thomas will chair the department alongside Matthew Loscalzo, M.S.W., department co-chair and administrative director of City of Hope’s Sheri & Les Biller Patient and Family Resource Center.
“Dr. Thomas brings a well-rounded background as a rigorous scientist and as someone who truly understands what seriously ill patients experience and struggle with every day,” said Alexandra Levine, M.D., chief medical officer, City of Hope. “He will set the tone for our mission of compassionate and total patient care.”
Thomas comes to City of Hope from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), where he was associate clinical professor of medicine. He started his career at UCSD in 1997 as assistant clinical professor of medicine, after completing his internal medicine residency at the university. He also was clinical medical director of San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, a nonprofit health-care organization affiliated with UCSD that provides pain management and end-of-life care.
“City of Hope recognizes the important role supportive care services have in the overall treatment of cancer patients and is a national leader in advancing and improving patient care,” said Thomas. “The goal is to be the best palliative medicine team in the world, and I want to be part of that vision.”
Thomas’ research focuses on methods of controlling pain and reducing complications of cancer or its treatment that can interfere with quality of life. His work has been published in numerous journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Additionally, he has served as a peer reviewer for journals such as Cancer, the Journal of Palliative Medicine and the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Thomas received his medical degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. He received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, and his master’s degree in biochemistry from Harvard University.