COVINGTON – St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) presented its Medical Director’s Award for the third quarter of 2023 to Dr. Farah Ali for her work in growing the health system’s Palliative Medicine program and further raising the bar on the quality of the services it offers to the community.
“Palliative medicine is crucial in providing needed patient and family support during critical times in our patients’ lives, and Dr. Ali has proven to be a stalwart advocate for them,” said Dr. Michael K. Hill, STQN medical director, in announcing the award. “Her passion and professionalism have been instrumental in growing the inpatient and outpatient palliative care programs at St. Tammany Health System.”
Dr. Ali has been a member of STQN and the St. Tammany Health System medical staff since January 2023. In that time, she has been tireless in promoting palliative medicine in the community and at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, in addition to directing palliative care services at St. Tammany Cancer Center – A Campus of Ochsner Medical Center.
“I can’t say enough about the energy and expertise Dr. Ali has brought to our palliative program,” said Paula Toups, St. Tammany Health System AVP of Home Health and Hospice. “In just a short time she has become a go-to resource for other healthcare providers and a steadying force for patients and their families, whom she always, always puts first.”
Palliative medicine is specialized care focusing on improving quality of life for people with long-term, life-limiting conditions such as cancer, chronic lung disease and congestive heart failure. It often includes, but isn’t limited to, symptom management for pain, nausea, fatigue, difficulty breathing, depression or anxiety.
Dr. Ali earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Georgia campus in June 2018. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine in June 2021, followed by a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Johns Hopkins in 2022.
She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
St. Tammany Quality Network continuously strives to define and improve the healthcare needs of our community. Promoting wellness is a key component of this quest.
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