VNA Health Group’s Dr. Shira Goldberg and Dr. Vikranta Sharma earn Fellow Status from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

HOLMDEL, NJ (November 21, 2019) — Visiting Nurse Association Health Group (VNAHG) is pleased to announce that two of their hospice and palliative physicians, Dr. Shira Goldberg of Highland Park and Dr. Vikranta Sharma of Cranbury, recently earned the designation Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The Academy is the professional organization for physicians who care for patients with serious illness.

Dr. Goldberg is the Medical Director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine at Monmouth Medical Center and VNAHG and received her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, NY. She is also board certified in Internal and Geriatric Medicine. Following her residency in Internal Medicine at RWJ University Hospital, New Brunswick, she completed her geriatrics fellowship at Mount Sinai School of Medicine.  Dr. Goldberg practiced geriatrics at both St. Peter’s University Hospital in New Brunswick and Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch before joining the VNAHG. Dr. Goldberg is also a clinical educator exploring various modalities to help medical professionals incorporate palliative care into their clinical thought process. She has given numerous lectures and presentations on a variety of advanced care topics to the medical community as well as families and caregivers.

Currently serving as the Medical Director for Hospice and Palliative Medicine at CentraState Medical Center and VNAHG, Dr. Sharma earned her medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College in India.  Following her residency in Internal Medicine at SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse, Dr. Sharma joined Cortland Memorial Hospital in NY. Dr. Sharma is a passionate advocate for better geriatric care and caregiver support and is a member of many advanced care organizations and committees including the New Jersey Task Force for Mayors Initiative of Conversation of Your Life.  She speaks widely about care at end of life and how to improve it across systems. Dr. Sharma is also involved in teaching and training medical residents and fellows in palliative care through the Rutgers Family Practice Program. 

Drs. Goldberg and Sharma will receive the Fellow designation at the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care in San Diego, CA in March 2020 joined by over 3,000 colleagues working in the field of hospice and palliative care.

The Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is the highest honor that can be bestowed on a physician member. It is achieved by physicians whose professional activity is devoted to the practice of hospice and palliative medicine.  Both Drs. Goldberg and Sharma have demonstrated a significant commitment to the field of hospice and palliative medicine throughout their careers and we celebrate their achievement.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) is the only national medical specialty society for hospice and palliative medicine. Since 1988, AAHPM has supported hospice and palliative medicine through professional education and training, development of a specialist workforce, support for clinical practice standards, research, and advocacy. AAHPM’s membership includes more than 5,200 physicians and other healthcare professionals committed to improving the care of patients with serious illness. Learn more at www.aahpm.org or visit the patient website, www.PalliativeDoctors.org. Follow AAHPM on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

About Visiting Nurse Association Health Group

Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group is the largest independent, nonprofit provider of home-based health services in New Jersey and Mid-Central Ohio. Founded over 108 years ago with a mission to care for the community, today VNA Health Group helps individuals and families achieve their best level of health and well-being by providing high quality, compassionate home health, hospice, palliative and community-based care and offers private-pay personal care services. A full range of primary care services are available through the VNACJ Community Health Centers. Currently, VNA Health Group employs nearly 2,500 people and cares for over 150,000 individuals and families annually with a special focus on vulnerable populations such as children, older adults and those with serious and disabling chronic illness. Our unique partnership model with health systems leverages our clinical and technical resources to operate VNA of Central Jersey Home Care and Hospice, Robert Wood Johnson Visiting Nurses, VNA of Englewood, Barnabas Health Home Care and Hospice, Cleveland Clinic Floria Visiting Nurses, Visiting Physician Services, and Visiting Nurse Association of Ohio.  For more information about VNA Health Group please call 800.862.3330, visit www.vnahg.org and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/VNAHealthGroup or @VNAHealthGroup.