Prof. Ann Berger
Chief, Pain and Palliative Care, NIH- USA
Dr. Berger earned her undergraduate degree, a B.S. in nursing, from New York University, followed by an M.S.N. in oncology nursing from University of Pennsylvania. After working as an oncology clinical nurse specialist for several years, she completed her medical training at Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. Dr. Berger next did an internship and residency at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and a fellowship in medical oncology and pain/palliative care at Yale University in Connecticut.
As an assistant professor in medicine and anesthesiology at Yale, Dr. Berger started a palliative care service.
Dr. Berger founded her second successful palliative care service while serving as an assistant professor in medicine and anesthesiology at Cooper Hospital/University Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey.
During her four-year tenure there, her service was actively involved in the care of patients and in education and research. She initiated a palliative care course for medical students, residents and fellows and also used her expertise while chairing the ethics committee.
In addition, Dr. Berger served as medical director of Lighthouse Hospice and as director of supportive care services at Cooper Hospital/University Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey. During this time she received two grants as project director of a pain and palliative care scholars program and as project director for a project designed to develop pain/palliative care teams in New Jersey long-term care facilities.
Since August 2000, Dr. Berger has been chief of the Pain and Palliative Care Service at the NIH Clinical Center, where she has clinical, teaching, research and administrative responsibilities. Dr. Berger coordinates a very successful hospice and palliative care fellowship at the NIH, clinical center.
Internationally, Dr. Berger has been involved with the NCI All-Ireland fatigue consortium, the NCI Croatian Cancer Consortium and the Mideast Cancer Consortium teaching palliative care in multiple different countries in the world.
Dr. Berger has recently developed the new innovative NIH-HEALS which measures psychosocial spiritual healing of individuals with life threatening and life challenging situations. Dr. Berger has both published and lectured extensively in the field of pain and palliative care.