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Pamela M. Sutton, MD, FAAHPM, DTM&H
Pallative Care / Family Practice



Director Palliative Care Services, Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program
BGMC Cancer Center
1600 S Andrews Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Phone: (954) 712-3903
Fax: 954-355-5172

EDUCATION

 1. 1966, high school graduation with college credits.
 2. 1969, BA, Pomona College, Claremont, Calif; Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
 3. 1973, MD, University of California at San Francisco Regent's Scholarship
       Fellowship Tropical Medicine Louisiana State University in Costa Rica summer 1972 
       Dewitt International Fellowship--accepted LSU fellowship instead
       GOLD-HEADED CANE at graduation, so-called "highest award"
 4. 1973-1976 Family Medicine Residency, University of Rochester (NY)
 5. 1977 Diploma Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Univ. of London
 6. 1977-1978 Graduate studies Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism, M.I.T., Cambridge,
       Mass.

WORK EXPERIENCES

  • Autumn 1976   Family physician for three health clinics in Appalachian North Carolina.
  • 1978-1981   Hospice development in South Florida. Hospice physician and/or medical director for local Hospice groups. Lectured widely on pain and symptom control.
  • 1979-1987   Private practice doing Palliative Care making house calls, nursing home visits, and hospital visits to terminally-ill patients in Broward County, Fl except for time in Ethiopia (see below). No office practice--most patients too sick and were seen in homes or hospital. Resumed this practice on return from Ethiopia, until departure for Pakistan 1987.
  • May 28-September 10, 1985   Physician at Church World Service-supported feeding center in Ethiopia (famine). Ethiopian experiences published in book, Ethiopian Journal, reviewed in New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. (Book available on internet).
  • March-October 1987   Trainer, editor, and contributor to a training manual, Medical Guide for Afghan Paramedics, and ultimately Medical Director for Freedom Medicine, a USAID-funded, private, voluntary organization training Afghans to be paramedics in Pakistan.
  • November-December 1987 Worked for Results, a hunger lobby in Washington, D.C. organizing a symposium about Ethiopia. Served as moderator and gave opening and closing remarks at symposium, December 14, 1987.
  • February-April 1988   Organized three month palliative care course, consulted on cancer pain, and wrote Practical Palliative Care and Hospice in Developing Countries for the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute in Ahmedabad, India. (Under World Health Organization auspices).
  • April/May 1988   Did cancer pain survey and lectured on cancer pain at Institute of Radiation and Nuclear Medicine in Peshawar, Pakistan. Survey published as Cancer Pain Can be Relieved, World Health Forum, Vol. 11, 1990.
  • June-November 1988   Palliative Care Consultant to World Health Organization in Ahmedabad, India. Supervised and taught part of three month Palliative Care Course for doctors and nurses. Also wrote a book for World Health Organization called Practical Palliative Care. Further work for W.H.O.January 1989 in Tanzania and Egypt.
  • June 1989   Locum Tenens as family practitioner for Medstat, Inc. in North Carolina.
  • 1989-August 1991   Part-time prenatal care for Broward County Public Health Unit.
  • 1989-1993   Locum Tenens in South Florida for EMSA primarily doing house calls to terminal cancer patients.
  • November-December 1991   Palliative Care Consultant for World Health Organization to Pakistan. Lectured in 7 cities to over 400 doctors and other medical professionals about pain control in cancer.
  • April 1992   Resumed private practice of Palliative Care, making house calls and hospital visits to terminally-ill patients in Broward County, Fl. As part of the practice, helped Hospice Care of Broward County with patient care and other services on a contract basis. Also gave talks on Pain Control in Cancer for Purdue Frederick.
  • August 1994   Left private practice and assumed the position of Director, Palliative Care Services for the North Broward Hospital District (now called “Broward Health”), Broward County, Florida. Subsequently was also named Medical Director for Gold Coast Hospice (part of Broward Health).
  • In 2000 and 2001, was responsible for bringing over $1,550,000 to Broward Health for the inception of the Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program which consists of palliative consultation teams available at all four District hospitals with liaison to palliative home care through Gold Coast Home Health and Hospice.

    In 2000, facilitated funding of the Barbara Ziegler Palliative Education Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York.

    In addition, assisted in bringing 1.1 million dollars from the Barbara Ziegler Estate to the American Pain Foundation to help begin and secure their important work.

    Expanded previous palliative educational efforts at Broward Health by including EPEC materials and teaching two-thirds of the sixty minute Palliative Rounds presented weekly at two Broward Health hospitals to all interested medical professionals.

    Began to host on annual basis the “Pain and Palliative Care” conference at Broward Health made possible by visits from the world-renowned palliative faculty from The Ziegler Palliative Education Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
  • In 2001 and 2002 was the recipient of community and Broward General awards related to promotion of Palliative Care:
       - Recognition for Outstanding Service BGMC Jan 2001
       - Meritorious Award from the BGMC Medical Staff April 2001
       - 2001 A.F.P. Honoree National Philanthropy Day
       - Most Valuable Physician at Broward General Medical Center April 2002.
       - The NBHD Palliative Care Program was Finalist in South Florida Business Journal
       - 2001 Excellence in Healthcare Award
  • In 2002, traveled to Nepal with a Ziegler palliative RN. Visited hospitals and cancer professionals and lectured on pain management.
  • In 2005, accepted the Circle of Life Citation of Honor for the Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program at the national awards in San Francisco. The Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program of the Broward Health has consultation teams in four hospitals and serves rich and poor, children and adults with any serious illness.
  • In 2006, developed and directed the Barbara Ziegler Palliative Care Program Fellowship in Palliative Care for physicians which received accreditation from AAHPM for three years and trained the first fellow in 2006-2007.

    The fellowship is now in its second year and sees adults and children with all serious illnesses. The first fellow received a prestigious Chief Medical Officer job at a large Hospice following completion of the fellowship.
  • In 2005-2008, facilitated educational exchange between Barbara Ziegler Program at Broward Health and Hope Institute (cancer and palliative care) in Jamaica (with assistance from Food for the Poor), teaching palliative care at seminars 2006, 2007, 2008 in Kingston, and arranging for program Fellows to spend a week at Hope Institute on annual basis.

    In 2007, awarded Fellow status of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

LICENSES, BOARDS
1. National Boards 1974.
2. Diplomat American Board of Family Practice 1976, 1982, 1990, 1997, 2004.
3. Diploma Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Univ. of London, 1977.
4. Board Certified by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine at first Board
    exam offered in this discipline, 1996.  Recertified 2005.
5. Florida (MD) license #ME0033712
6. North Carolina (MD) license #21236 (currently inactive)
7. New York (MD) license #120682-1974 (currently inactive)

TRAVEL/LANGUAGES
Travel and/or living experiences in Canada, Europe, Mexico, Central and South America, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Haiti, and Jamaica. Speak French, some Spanish, and smattering of Hindi, Urdu, and Farsi.

ORGANIZATIONS have included over the years:
Broward County Medical Assn., Florida Medical Assn., Southern Medical Assn., University Community Hospital Cancer Support Group, Professional Advisory Board V.N.A., Broward General Medical Center's Cancer Committee, Assn. of Hospice Physicians (NHO), International Hospice Institute  and College,  Amer. CA Society Service and Rehabilitation Committee 1983, Board of Am. CA Society 1986/1987, National Council of International Health, Bread for the World, Academy of Hospice Physicians (now the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine), Florida Cancer Pain Initiative, Coral Springs Medical Center Ethics Committee, North Broward Medical Center Cancer Committee, Chapel of St. Andrew, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care, Board Member American Pain Foundation 2000-2001, Gilda's Club, Graduate Medical Education Committee (BGMC), Continuing Medical Education Committee (BGMC), Program Director’s Committee (BGMC).