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Scott H. Maurer, MD

  • Associate Professor of Pediatrics
  • Chief, Division of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
  • Medical Director, Supportive Care Program, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Dr. Scott Maurer received his MD from Oregon Health & Science University, completed pediatrics training at the University of Washington – Seattle Children’s Hospital, and received fellowship training in pediatric hematology/oncology and palliative medicine training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  He is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in general pediatrics, pediatric hematology/oncology, and hospice and palliative medicine.

Maurer is an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and he is also chief of the Division of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.  He oversees a busy pediatric palliative care service and co-created a perinatal palliative care program.  He teaches and mentors faculty, fellows, residents, and medical students in clinical medicine and research.  His research interests include decision making support for children with incurable cancer, allowing children to self-report their tolerance of chemotherapy, improving resilience in children with serious illness, exploring spirituality concerns in children with life-limiting illness, and improvements in bereavement support.

Professional and Scientific Society Memberships

  • American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, 2008-Present
  • American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, 2008-Present
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015-Present

Education & Training

  • BA, Biology, Wittenberg University, 2000
  • MD, Oregon Health and Science University, 2004
  • Residency and Internship in Pediatrics, University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital, 2004-2007
  • Fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 2007-2010

Selected Publications

Barnett M, Maurer S, Wood, G.  Pediatric Palliative Care Pilot Curriculum: Impact of “Pain Cards” on Resident Education.  Am J Hosp Palliat Care.  2016 33(9):829-33. PMID: 26101349.

Kelly J, May C, Maurer S. Assessment of the spiritual needs of primary caregivers of children with life-limiting illnesses is valuable yet inconsistently performed in the hospital.  J Palliat Med.  2016 19(7):763-6. PMID: 27136401.

Thrane S, Maurer S, Ren D, Danford C, Cohen S.  Reiki Therapy for Symptom Management in Children Receiving Palliative Care: A Pilot Study.  Am J Hosp Palliat Care.  2016 19(7):763-6. PMID: 26858170.

Kazmerski, T, Weiner D, Matisko J, Schachner D, Lerch W, May C, and Maurer S.  “Advance Care Planning in Adolescents with Cystic Fibrosis: A Quality Improvement Project.”  Pediatric Pulmonology. 2016 51(12):1304-1310. PMID: 27749020.

Thrane S, Maurer S, Cohen S, May C, Sereika S.  “Pediatric Palliative Care: A Five-Year Retrospective Chart Review Study.”  J Palliat Med. 2017 20(10):1104-1111. PMID: 28586256.

Meenan C, Kelly J, Wang L, Ritchey A, Maurer S.  “Obesity in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia increases the risk of adverse events during pre-maintenance chemotherapy.” Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2018 66(2):e27515. PMID: 30362242. *Publisher’s Notation as one of the top 10% downloaded articles for the Journal that year.

Yu J, Schenker Y, Maurer S, Cook S, Kavlieratos D, Houtrow A. “Pediatric palliative care in the medical neighborhood for children with medical complexity.” Fam Syst Health. 2019 37(2):107-119. PMID: 31045385. 

McFatrich M, Brondon J, Lucas N, Hinds P, Maurer S, Mack J, Freyer D, Jacobs S, Baker J, Mowbray C, Wang M, Castellino S, Barz Leahy A, Reeve B.  “Mapping child and adolescent self-reported symptom data to clinician-reported adverse event grading to improve pediatric oncology care and research.”  Cancer. 2019. PMID: 31553494.  

McNamara L, Okoniewski W, Maurer S, Moehling K., Hall D, Schenker Y. “‘Give them the door but don’t push them through it:’ Family Attitudes Toward Physician-led Spiritual Care in Pediatric Palliative Medicine.” Journal of Religion and Health. 2020. In press.

Reeve B, McFatrich M, Mack J, Maurer S, Jacobs S, Freyer D, Withycombe J, Baker J, Castellino S, Lin L, Lucas N, Hinds P. “Validity and Reliability of the Pediatric Patient-Reported Outcomes - Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events.” J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020. In press.

Mack, J, et. Al. “Agreement between Child Self-Report and Caregiver Proxy-Report for Symptoms and Functioning of Children Undergoing Cancer Treatment.” JAMA Peds. 2020. In press.

Full Publication List via NIH PubMed »

Research Grants

AJ & Sigismunda Palumbo Trust, Promoting Resilience in Stress Management (PRISM) in Adolescents and Young Adults with Advanced Cancer (Site PI, 5% effort), 2020-2022, $40,000.

CV

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