Harvard Health

Susan D. Block, MD

Contributor

Dr. Susan D. Block received her AB from Stanford University, her MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and completed residencies in internal medicine and psychiatry at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston; she is board certified in both fields. She has been a national leader in the development of the field of palliative medicine. She is known as an expert in medical education, communication, psychosocial oncology, faculty development, and health system change.

Dr. Block was the founding chair of the department of psychosocial oncology and palliative care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital; a founding director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, a national center of excellence for palliative care education; and the founder and director of the serious illness care program at Ariadne Labs. She is the author of over 200 publications and has won numerous awards for education, research, and leadership in both palliative medicine and psychiatry.