Andrew Thurston, MD FAAHPM

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

@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! 🧠 👇

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.

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.

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. spr.ly/60154mR2T

🎉 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 🔗 bit.ly/3G6ixJ4

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: pittmed.pitt.edu/news/med-schoo…

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

Drs. Rene Claxton and @rabob share their expertise on enhancing communication skills in #MedEd in a new @thecurbsiders episode. Listen or watch here: thecurbsiders.com/teach-podcast/…

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

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: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-…

✨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 👉bit.ly/3S9hIBF #Anesthesia #PainCare

🤰🫃🫄 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: anesthesiology.pitt.edu/news/dr-grace-… #OBanes

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 🔗 conferences.beckershospitalreview.com/Anesthesia #BeckersHealthcare #anesthesia

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

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

🎉 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

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

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

🌷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👇 news.dom.pitt.edu

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: upmcphysicianresources.com/news/011425-em… @ChildrensPgh @UPMCPhysicianEd @PittPalCare