Pain and Palliative Medicine Team

Palliative Medicine

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A true team approach

Each patient is treated by an interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other allied health staff

Each patient is treated by an interdisciplinary team comprised of physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists and other allied health staff.

Following a consultation, a care plan is created. This can include physical, psychological, social and spiritual interventions. The Institute also works with a patient’s family members, friends, and loved ones to assist in monitoring, managing, and communicating the patient’s pain.

We work closely within our network of preferred providers who all subscribe to the same philosophy.

The primary goal of the Institute is to promote the highest quality of life possible for patients. Compassionate, personalized care is focused on the relief of a full range of physical and psychological symptoms.

A multidisciplinary team

For non-palliative conditions, therapeutic options of interventional modalities (including injections, implants, and minimally invasive surgical procedures), physical therapy, and recommendations on medication management, and co-ordination with primary physicians as well as surgical providers are offered.

Our Care Philosophy

The Pain & Palliative Medicine Institute’s primary goal is to provide best practice and personalized care.  We are experts; trained and board certified in pain, palliative, and other disciplines.  We are passionate to support and guide you through our Institute’s Services.

Our Pain and Palliative Medicine Team

Jose Contreras, M.D., FAAHPM

Chairman of the Institution of Pain and Palliative Medicine

Clinical Expertise: Cancer pain and palliative care

Board Certification: Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Family Practice

Medical Education: Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala City, Guatemala

Residency: Warren Hospital, Family Practice

Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Pain and Palliative Care

Language spoken: English, Spanish

What is your care philosophy?
During times of challenging illness, to provide comprehensive, empathetic and compassionate care for patients and their families.

What inspired you to become a doctor?
The desire to give back what I learned from serious illness and to fulfill my life’s calling.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
The beauty of palliative care is we meet patients and their families on their terms, providing holistic care with a mind, body and spiritual emphasis, during times of serious illness and in cooperation with their entire treatment team.

Contrearas Jose pain and palliative medicine

Ali I. Seckin, M.D.

Vice Chairman of the Institution of Pain and Palliative Medicine

Clinical Expertise: Chronic pain

Board Certification: Anesthesiology, Pain Medicine, current MBA candidate

Medical Education: University of Istanbul, Cerrahapasa Medical School, Combined English Program

Surgical Internship: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Residencies:
Florence Nightingale Hospital, Cardiovascular Center, Istanbul, Anesthesiology
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Anesthesiology

Fellowships:
Mayo Clinic, Anesthesiology
Columbia University, Presbyterian Hospital, Pain

Other: Certificate in Business Administration, American Society of Anesthesiology

Language spoken: English, Turkish, Spanish (conversational)

What is your care philosophy?
I am a people person and learnt very early in my career, to be there for the patient. Personally, the promise that I give to my patients is to perform my best for their well-being. This includes active involvement of the patient in his/her own healing, by adopting life-changing interventions such as dietary, exercise modifications and workplace/home rehabilitation.

What inspired you to become a doctor?
My brother who is an orthopedic surgeon.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
Experience and exposure of the practitioner are considered the most important outcome predictors for our field. To date, my team has managed more than 15,000 cases in 11 years and has touched countless lives in Northern New Jersey and neighboring NY communities.

Seckin Ali

Surjya Sen, M.D.

Division Chief of Acute and Post-op Pain

Clinical Expertise: Acute post-operative pain, pre-operative pain assessments, CRPS, spinal cord stimulation, and interventional back pain

Board Certification: Anesthesiology and Pain Management

Medical Education: Rutgers School of Medicine

Residency: Mayo Clinic, Anesthesiology

Fellowship: Mayo Clinic, Pain Management

Language spoken: English, Bengali

What is your care philosophy? Partner with the patient to optimize their care plan.

What inspired you to become a doctor? I’m a people person.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
Our goal is to optimize quality of life and function. These endpoints result in the best satisfaction from patients and the most realistic and reasonable approaches for each individual.

Sen Surjya

Sunniya Khan, M.D.

Attending Physician, Palliative Medicine

Board Certification: Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Clinical expertise: Cancer pain and palliative care

Medical Education:  Aga Khan University

Residency: Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ

Fellowship: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Language spoken: English, Urdu

What is your care philosophy? High-quality symptom management and comprehensive care for the patient and family

What inspired you to become a doctor? The ability to heal and serve people while providing compassionate care

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
It is a specialty focused on patient and family centered treatment goals especially for those patients facing life limiting and serious illness with special attention on quality of life. No matter what patient or diagnosis in palliative care there is always something more we can do.

dr Sunniya Khan

Paulina Kim, M.D., MPH, FAAHPM

Attending Physician, Palliative Medicine

Board Certification: Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine

Clinical Expertise: Palliative Care

Medical Education: SUNY Downstate

Residency: Yale New Haven Hospital/Hospital of Saint Raphael

Fellowship: N/A

Language Spoken: English, Korean

What is your care philosophy? Whole person-centered care through value-based, shared decision-making.

What inspired you to become a doctor? My mentors at Yale who modeled excellence in patient care.

What do you tell patients and teaching families considering palliative/pain care services?
Palliative care benefits persons and their families living with, and while getting treatment for, serious illnesses. Palliative care promotes quality of life and well-being through comprehensive symptom management and close collaborative communication with patients, families and care team.

kim paulina

Katie DeMarco, DNP, MSHS, MSN, APN-C, FNP-BC, ACHPN

Clinical Supervisor, Institute of Pain and Palliative Medicine

Board Certification: Family Practice and Hospice/Palliative Care

Clinical Expertise: Palliative Medicine

Education: Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner

Master of Nursing – Family Practice

Doctor of Nursing Practice – Palliative Care

Language spoken: English

What is your care philosophy?
I am focused on two principles: treat physical symptoms and support the patient and family deeper; mind, body and spiritual support.

What inspired you to practice palliative care?
Palliative care respects life and honors patients and families by supporting them during a difficult time.  I am motivated to provide humanistic medicine that is focused on personalized needs.  I am inspired by the life and love cycle that people journey through when a serious illness is diagnosed.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?
I tell patients and their loved ones, “We do things together. Let’s see how we can help you.”

Theresa Ebel, CHPCA

Administrative Director

Administrative Expertise: Palliative Care

Education: Master Administrative Science

Certification: Hospice & Palliative Care Administrator

Language spoken: English

What is your care philosophy?
Meet the patient and family where they are; help them navigate through the health care delivery system based on their cultural needs and goals.

What inspired you to become involved in Palliative Medicine?
An amazing team (Physician and APN) who showed me the value of real, patient-centered care. 

What do you tell patients and teaching families considering palliative/pain care services?
Palliative care offers an extra layer of support, working with the current medical team to support quality of life, while journeying through a serious illness.

theresa ebel pain and palliative medicine

Joyce Samuel, PA-C

Clinical expertise:  Intervention Pain Management

Language spoken: English

Education: Master Degree

What inspired you to practice Pain Management?    The complexity and variety of the patient population.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative/pain care services?

We are available 24 hours, 7 days a week. We treat the whole person not just the disease.

Susan Linzey, RN

Clinical expertise: Palliative care

Certification: Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse

Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, UMDNJ-Ramapo College of NJ Joint BSN Program

AS Nursing Technology, Broward Community College

Languages spoken: English

What is your care philosophy?
My care philosophy is based on an awareness and belief in the innate venerability of each person. I believe that effective caring promotes health and growth, and that the science of caring is integral to the science of curing.

What inspired you to become a palliative care nurse?
Utilizing my nurse’s technical skillset and exploring the holistic domains through the palliative lens provides the safe framework within which a patient can navigate their own exploration of the physical and existential self, wellness. It is this ability to partner in consecrated work that continues to inspire me.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative care services?
Palliative care is a medical specialty that focuses on treating symptoms and stress of serious illness, alleviating suffering. Palliative care is provided concurrently with any other medical plan and is transdisciplinary care to provide an extra layer of support, with the end goal to enhance quality of life.

Samantha Wagner, LCSW

Clinical Expertise: Palliative care

Certification: Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Social Worker (NASW)

Education: Master of Social Work, Rutgers University School of Social Work

Language spoken: English

What is your care philosophy?
To approach each patient and family with an open mind and humility and to treat each patient with respect and dignity.  Build rapport and strengthen trust in order to have an effective therapeutic relationship and to advocate and honor their goals and wishes.

What inspired you to become a palliative care social worker?
The work of the palliative care team at Hackensack and their compassion toward helping patients and families journey through serious illness.

What do you tell patients and families considering palliative care services?
I tell them palliative care is a focus on symptom management and quality of life.  We treat each person with respect and use a mind, body, spirit approach; maintaining their dignity and honoring their autonomy.  We are here as an extra layer of support to patients and families, and work alongside their primary medical team.  

Sandra Guzman, LSW

Clinical Expertise: Palliative care

Certified: Currently seeking clinical license (LCSW)

Education: Master of Social Work, NY Silver School of Social Work

Language spoken: English, Spanish

What is your care philosophy?  Compassionate, personalized care which focuses on a holistic team approach.

What inspired you to become involved in Palliative Medicine?
Comes from the satisfaction I receive when patients and their families allow me to share in their journey, by providing comfort and support during very vulnerable and sacred times.

What do you tell patients and teaching families considering palliative/pain care services?
I inform my patients and families regarding palliative care services. The institute is structured to serve patients facing chronic pain and difficult symptoms associated with serious illness. We are a comprehensive team of professionals dedicated in assessing and addressing all aspects of a patient’s condition which also encompasses their families.