Highlighted Researcher: Ali Zarrabi

What is your professional background?  
I am an internist and palliative medicine physician who works primarily in the outpatient setting. Until recently, I served as the Associate Director of Outpatient Palliative and Supportive care at Emory. I did all of my schooling at Brown, all of my post-graduate training at Mount Sinai, and, in between, I did a Sarnoff Research Fellowship at Harvard.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?  
I work in the Division of Hospital Medicine, and my mentors are Kimberly Curseen and Tammie Quest.

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?  
I received a FAME grant to establish and assess a novel cannabis program in our palliative care practice. Currently, I am planning a larger study to assess the impact of what I’m calling our “palliative cannabis consultation” on physical pain, emotional suffering, opioid use, and overall quality of life. I am also studying the impact of art-based interventions on self-awareness/metacognition among palliative care practitioners. I am planning to expand these art-based interventions to palliative care patients as well.

What do you like most about Emory?  
I am very proud of the ambitious outpatient palliative care program that we built over the past several years under Kimberly Curseen’s leadership. I believe we have one of the very best outpatient practices in the country, and I am excited to see how we can expand our reach and improve the quality of care for seriously ill patients in the region. I am also continually impressed with the openness and eagerness of other faculty to collaborate with our team.

What do you like to do in your spare time?  
I like to cook, eat, workout, write, and spend time with my loved ones.