Karen Bullock | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Occupation(s) | Sociologist, clinical social worker, and academic |
Academic background | |
Education | B.S.W. MS., Social Work Ph.D., Sociology and Social Work |
Alma mater | North Carolina State University Columbia University Boston University |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Boston College School of Social Work |
Karen Bullock is an American medical sociologist,clinical social worker,and an academic research scholar. She is the Ahearn Endowed Professor at the Boston College School of Social Work. [1]
Bullock is most known for her work on health equity and health disparities. Her work primarily focuses on cultural competence,diversity,and palliative care and has been published in academic journals including Journal of social work in end-of-life &palliative care and Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. [2]
Bullock obtained a Bachelor of Social Work degree from North Carolina State University in 1990 and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in 1992. Later,she completed her Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Work from Boston University in 2000. [1]
Bullock began her academic career in 1994 by joining Salem State College,where she served multiple appointments including serving as an Adjunct Lecturer at the School of Social Work and Department of Sociology from 1994 to 1995 and an assistant professor at the School of Social Work from 1995 to 1999. She also briefly held an appointment as an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for three years (1999–2002). In 2002,she joined the University of Connecticut and held various appointments,including assistant professor at the School of Social Work from 2002 to 2007 and associate professor from 2007 to 2012. From 2011 to 2022,she held multiple appointments at North Carolina State University,serving as associate professor from 2011 to 2013 and as a professor and Head of the School of Social Work from 2013 to 2022. As of August 2022,she is the Ahearn Endowed Professor at the Boston College,School of Social Work. [1]
From 2018 to 2022,she served as the treasurer and as a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Social Work Deans and Directors (NADD). During this time,she concurrently served on the Serious Illness Care Taskforce at both the National Academies of Sciences,Engineering,and Medicine and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine from 2020 to 2023. Additionally,she also served on the Taskforce on Healthy Aging at the North Carolina Institute of Medicine between 2022 and 2023. [3]
Bullock has authored numerous publications spanning the areas of mental health,clinical practice,hospice,and end-of-life care including articles in peer-reviewed journals. [4]
While examining the disparities in end-of-life care decision-making between Black and White community-dwelling residents,her study discovered that unique cultural beliefs,values,and communication styles can impede the provision of appropriate end-of-life care further recommending that healthcare providers should take note of these cultural differences and develop cultural competence to improve the quality of care they provide. [5] She also evaluated the role of African American Baptist clergy members in offering mental health assistance to elderly members of their congregations and developed a framework of pastoral care to aid and enhance the mental health assistance offered in African American churches. [6] In her investigation of the characteristics related to diversity and its impact on people's understanding of healthcare information in the area of traumatology,her study revealed significant variations in the level of health literacy among distinct groups such as racial and ethnic minorities,women,men,as well as individuals from diverse socio-economic and educational backgrounds and highlighted the importance of cultural competence as a standard of care and the need to address racial disparities in the utilization of trauma-informed care. [7]
Bullock created a social work training model to equip practitioners with the necessary skills to support older homeless adults facing behavioral health and substance use challenges,utilizing a sequential transition between multiple field settings to provide a diverse range of practical experiences. [8] While investigating the challenges and achievements encountered during the application of interprofessional education (IPE) within the School of Social Work,her research emphasized the significance of incorporating integration,supervision,and expertise,in order to establish effective interprofessional healthcare teams. The findings of the study further highlighted the importance of implementing IPE in academic institutions that lack medical programs to encourage a collaborative approach to integrated care through interprofessional teams. [9] In related research,she highlighted the challenges faced by African American or Latino individuals in accessing hospice and palliative care due to a lack of culturally competent clinicians and health inequity and proposed a community-based outreach approach integrating a faith-based/spiritual care curriculum to train outreach workers in supporting older adults with serious illnesses,with a specific focus on advanced care planning (ACP) and addressing potential barriers to equitable care. [10]
Bullocks' palliative care research has focused on interventions to address depression,anxiety,grief,and existential distress,as well as interventions to support families and caregivers. While analyzing the significance of upholding professional limits in the context of hospice care,her study brought to attention the difficulties that hospice social workers and other members of the interdisciplinary team may confront with regard to maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and emphasized that hospice organizations should establish explicit policies and protocols aimed at aiding staff in upholding robust professional boundaries. [11] Focusing her research efforts on the impact of trauma in the planning of palliative and hospice care for families and patients of dementia care services,her research highlighted the prevalence of dementia among older adults,especially those from minority groups,and is often diagnosed in later stages and stressed the importance of community-based outreach and education to increase awareness about trauma,hospice,and end-of-life care. [12] During her investigation of the perception of patients and families registered in a hospice program,she discovered significant changes in attitudes towards hospice,emphasizing the importance of soliciting feedback and providing information about eligibility and services. [13]
Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimising quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious,complex,and often terminal illnesses. Within the published literature,many definitions of palliative care exist. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes palliative care as
"an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness,through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems,physical,psychosocial,and spiritual".
Geriatrics,or geriatric medicine,is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of the elderly. The term geriatrics originates from the Greek γέρωνgeron meaning "old man",and ιατρόςiatros meaning "healer". It aims to promote health by preventing,diagnosing and treating disease in older adults. There is no defined age at which patients may be under the care of a geriatrician,or geriatric physician,a physician who specializes in the care of older people. Rather,this decision is guided by individual patient need and the caregiving structures available to them. This care may benefit those who are managing multiple chronic conditions or experiencing significant age-related complications that threaten quality of daily life. Geriatric care may be indicated if caregiving responsibilities become increasingly stressful or medically complex for family and caregivers to manage independently.
Thanatology is the scientific study of death and the losses brought about as a result. It investigates the mechanisms and forensic aspects of death,such as bodily changes that accompany death and the postmortem period,as well as wider psychological and social aspects related to death. It is primarily an interdisciplinary study offered as a course of study at numerous colleges and universities.
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer,dementia,advanced heart disease,and for HIV/AIDS,or long COVID in bad cases,rather than for injury. In popular use,it indicates a disease that will progress until death with near absolute certainty,regardless of treatment. A patient who has such an illness may be referred to as a terminal patient,terminally ill or simply as being terminal. There is no standardized life expectancy for a patient to be considered terminal,although it is generally months or less. An illness which is lifelong but not fatal is called a chronic condition.
Dame Cicely Mary Strode Saunders was an English nurse,social worker,physician and writer. She is noted for her work in terminal care research and her role in the birth of the hospice movement,emphasising the importance of palliative care in modern medicine,and opposing the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia.
Ira Robert Byock is an American physician,author,and advocate for palliative care. He is founder and chief medical officer of the Providence St. Joseph Health Institute for Human Caring in Torrance,California,and holds appointments as active emeritus professor of medicine and professor of community health and family medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. He was director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth–Hitchcock Medical Center,from 2003–14,and associate director for patient and family-centered care at the affiliated Norris-Cotton Cancer Center.
End-of-life care (EOLC) is health care provided in the time leading up to a person's death. End-of-life care can be provided in the hours,days,or months before a person dies and encompasses care and support for a person's mental and emotional needs,physical comfort,spiritual needs,and practical tasks.
In the United States,hospice care is a type and philosophy of end-of-life care which focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's symptoms. These symptoms can be physical,emotional,spiritual,or social in nature. The concept of hospice as a place to treat the incurably ill has been evolving since the 11th century. Hospice care was introduced to the United States in the 1970s in response to the work of Cicely Saunders in the United Kingdom. This part of health care has expanded as people face a variety of issues with terminal illness. In the United States,it is distinguished by extensive use of volunteers and a greater emphasis on the patient's psychological needs in coming to terms with dying.
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering. Hospice care provides an alternative to therapies focused on life-prolonging measures that may be arduous,likely to cause more symptoms,or are not aligned with a person's goals.
Diane E. Meier,an American geriatrician and palliative care specialist. In 1999,Dr. Meier founded the Center to Advance Palliative Care,a national organization devoted to increasing access to quality health care in the United States for people living with serious illness. She continues to serve as CAPC's Director Emerita and Strategic Medical Advisor. Meier is also Vice-Chair for Public Policy,Professor of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Catherine Gaisman Professor of Medical Ethics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Meier was founder and Director of the Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York City from 1997 to 2011.
In 2006,hospice and palliative medicine was officially recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties,and is co-sponsored by the American Boards of
Anne Merriman,MBE,MCommH,FRCPI,FRCP is a British doctor,known for her pioneering work and influential research into palliative care in developing countries in Africa. She has campaigned to make affordable oral morphine widely available.
The John A. Hartford Foundation is a private United States–based philanthropy whose current mission is to improve the care of older adults. For many years,it made grants for research and education in geriatric medicine,nursing and social work. It now focuses on three priority areas:creating age-friendly health systems,supporting family caregivers and improving serious illness,and end-of-life care.
M. R. Rajagopal is an Indian palliative care physician (anesthesiologist) and professor referred to as the 'father of palliative care in India' in honour of his significant contribution to the palliative care scene in India.
Margaret Ruth McCorkle FAAN,FAPOS was an American nurse,oncology researcher,and educator. She was the Florence Schorske Wald Professor of Nursing at the Yale School of Nursing.
Kimberly Sherell Johnson is an American clinical investigator. She is a Full professor of medicine at Duke University and director of Duke REACH Equity. In March 2020,Johnson's academic work was recognized with the first Richard Payne Outstanding Achievement in Diversity,Equity and Inclusion Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Ramona Rhodes is an American geriatrician and physician.
Doris Howell was an American physician who specialized in pediatric oncology. She became known as the "mother of hospice," for her pioneering work in palliative care.
Sonja Jayne McIlfatrick is a nurse and Professor in Nursing and Palliative Care and Dean of Ulster Doctoral College at Ulster University. She was the first non-American President of the International Network of Doctoral Education in Nursing.
Zelda Foster was a social worker who was a leader in the hospice movement. Foster also taught at the Columbia School of Social Work and was director of children's mental health at the Children's Aid Society.