Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM

Husband. Father. Writer of words. Champion of Narrative Medicine and Medical Director of Palliative Care at UPMC Mercy. All posts and thoughts are my own.

[Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM @PalliativeMedMD]

One of the hardest, and easiest, things I've ever written.

[MomentsMatterMD @MomentsMatterMD]

New Blog Post: Moments Matter #70 - Two Weeks

https://t.co/r9oexPGoGR

#MedEd #MedTwitter #Palliative #HPM #Communication

[Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM @PalliativeMedMD]

@HBO's #thepitt really is a fantastic show. I avoided it for a long time, as I've avoided most medical shows since becoming a doctor. As a palliative care physician in Pittsburgh, this show really hits close to home on many fronts. It's one of the most open and honest depictions of humanity I've seen in a while.

A question for my colleagues in medicine: is a POLST considered an Advance Directive?

In an early episode a patient comes in with a POLST, and it's referred to as an Advance Directive with the patient's family. Is this accurate?

I have many thoughts on this and other documents used in medicine (the PA Out of Hospital DNR form, anyone?), at the same time I'm curious what others think.

Asking across platforms, would love to hear your thoughts! 🧠 👇

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

Congratulations to Carla Spagnoletti (@spagcl), who was awarded the ADME Ann Thompson Award for Lifetime Achievement! 🥳 This award recognizes a senior faculty member who has demonstrated commitment to & has advanced #MedEd locally, regionally, nationally, & internationally.

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

Congratulations to @AnnaKDonovan for being awarded the ADME Steven Kanter Exemplary Educator Award! 🥳 This award recognizes an early or mid-career faculty member who is an emerging leader in the field of #MedEd.

[AMA @AmerMedicalAssn]

Today is a sad and harmful day for patients and health care across the country, and its impact will reverberate for years. This bill moves us in the wrong direction. It will make it harder to access care and make patients sicker because the lifelines of Medicaid and CHIP are severed. That is unacceptable. https://t.co/W8qkg64y6d

[Pitt OB & Women's Anesthesiology @OBAnesUPMC]

🎉 Congrats to Dr. Yanni Angelidis for being featured in @SOCCA_CritCare Interchange! His piece on Takotsubo in pregnancy highlights the power of OB anesthesia + ICU collab. 💪 #MaternalHealth #obanes @SOCCA_CritCare @SOAPHQ @PittAnes

🔗 https://t.co/2CYfhCR5zY

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

At the recent #PittMed story slam, our own Dr. Gaetan Sgro reflected on missing his own grandmother’s passing while caring for someone else’s. His story, years in the making, exemplified the power of storytelling.

Read more about the story slam: https://t.co/jNYOJ7wicS

[Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM @PalliativeMedMD]

A great discussion of some very important skills, check this out 👀👇

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

Drs. Rene Claxton and @rabob share their expertise on enhancing communication skills in #MedEd in a new @thecurbsiders episode.

Listen or watch here: https://t.co/FepNuA7QVl

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

Drs. Rene Claxton and @rabob share their expertise on enhancing communication skills in #MedEd in a new @thecurbsiders episode.

Listen or watch here: https://t.co/FepNuA7QVl

[Pitt General Internal Medicine @PittGIM]

From clinical rounds to emotional support, PGY2 Cody Kelso goes above and beyond for his team, which is why he was awarded a #PittMed Professionalism Accolade! 👏 His teaching, positivity, and care define what it means to lead by example. #MedEd #GIMExcellence

[Doug Lemov @Doug_Lemov]

Here's the latest episode of Sweat the Technique in which I discuss with medical educators Lindsay Dow and @rabob ways they are using more intentional pedagogy to improve how they train doctors:

https://t.co/JLUFtAUgL4

[Grace Lim, MD MSc @LimGrapes]

✨New in @_Anesthesiology: “Opioids, Expectations, & Ethos: A Global Take on Pain Management in Surgery & Pregnancy.” 🌍💉My thoughts on how we understand—& respond to—pain: shaped by culture, policy, history. Read the editorial 👉https://t.co/4io5T9Pe2G
#Anesthesia #PainCare

[Pitt Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine @PittAnes]

🤰🫃🫄 Grace Lim, MD, MSc (@LimGrapes) a nationally recognized physician-scientist and Chief of the Division of Obstetric and Women's Anesthesiology at UPMC, has been chosen President-Elect of the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology @SOAPHQ: https://t.co/RFFo363Cvc #OBanes

[Grace Lim, MD MSc @LimGrapes]

Honored to join @BeckersHR Hospital Review's Anesthesia Virtual Event on May 29, 2025

Join us in exploring strategies for financially sustainable anesthesia services

📅 May 29, 2025 | 1–4 PM CST
💻 Virtual
🔗 https://t.co/harmEhtYyY

#BeckersHealthcare #anesthesia

[Asma Mohammadi, MD @asma_mohammadi7]

Excited to share that I had the opportunity to present at the Annual SHM Conference this year after winning at the PGH Chapter meeting. Gained valuable insights into the latest updates in hospital medicine.

@SocietyHospMed @UPMCMercyIM

#shmconverge25 #shm #hospitalmedicine

[UPMC Mercy Internal Medicine Residency @UPMCMercyIM]

Our PGY-2 residents presenting their work at Pitt DOM Research Day 2025!
Congratulations @KavyaP08 and @hamam_aneis for winning the best poster award!!
#DOMResearchday2025
@PittIMChiefs @PittDeptofMed

[Pitt OB & Women's Anesthesiology @OBAnesUPMC]

🎉 Proud to represent Pitt at #SOAPAM2025!
🎤 Panels • 🧪 Research • 📚 Workshops • 🎖️ Leadership
📍Portland, OR | Apr 30–May 4
@PittAnes @soap_hq @asa_hq @PittAnesRes @UPMC_RFAC
#ObAnes #Anesthesiology #MedEd

[Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM @PalliativeMedMD]

Spent a great morning yesterday talking about the Power of Narratives with UPMC Health Plan team members. Key takeaways:

- stories matter
- narrative medicine is about hearing, and honoring, our stories
- narrative techniques can significantly improve patient care
- the 3 Minute Mental Makeover and the 55-word story are great ways to reflect

bonus points if you can name all the people in the picture below!

#MedHum #NarrativeMedicine #humanities

[Padma Sri Katikaneni @KatikaneniPadma]

Had a great time this weekend at @NCCN annual conference in Orlando presenting our research on time toxicity of various frontline regimens for treatment of EGFR mutated NSCLC #NCCN2025
Grateful for the opportunity and mentorship! @rajatthawani

[PittDeptofMed @PittDeptofMed]

🌷The spring edition of Code Blue and Gold, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine's quarterly newsletter, has arrived!🌷

Check out all the recent happenings across the DOM in our latest issue👇

https://t.co/bOjsUP7r6S

[Pitt Department of Pediatrics @PittPediatrics]

Check out this great new publication from Justin Yu, MD, MS, in our division of palliative care, looking into supporting caregivers of children with complex needs, published in Academic Pediatrics: https://t.co/Zlf2Oa61x0
@ChildrensPgh @UPMCPhysicianEd @PittPalCare