With modern medical advancements and people living longer with complex and chronic illnesses, we have to treat the whole person in addition to the specific disease.”
After receiving her Doctor of Osteopathy medical degree from Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California, Heather Bitar, D.O., continued her training in internal medicine at Community Memorial Health Systems in Ventura, followed by a hospice and palliative medicine fellowship at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles.
Dr. Bitar chose to specialize in palliative medicine in order to help cancer patients cope with “the physical, psychosocial and emotional realms of their care, which, if not addressed effectively, can greatly affect the outcomes on patients' prognosis and overall quality of life.”
Dr. Bitar is drawn to City of Hope's “dedication to provide leading-edge and high-quality patient care.” She plans to advance the field of palliative medicine through teaching and research. Her areas of interests include implementation of programs that involve nonpharmacologic ways to manage pain, in addition to developing curriculum aimed at teaching others how to have ongoing value-based treatment discussions. She hopes to “get to know patients and their families, navigate them through their illness and tailor what treatments make most sense for them based on their values.”
