Susan

Merel

MD

FACP

Education & Training 

• MD, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (2005)
• Residency in Internal Medicine, Primary Care Track, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (2005–2008)
• Fellow, Division of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (2008–2009)

Honors

• Award for Excellence in Clinician Education, SGIM Northwest Region (2016)
• Fellow, American College of Physicians (2018)

research & clinical interests

• Decisional Capacity
• Geriatrics
• Improving the care of hospitalized elderly patients
• Improving physician-patient communication
• Palliative Care
• Physician-Patient Communication
• Teaching serious illness communication to learners at all levels

publication highlights

• Brauner DJ, Merel SE. How a Model Based on Linguistic Theory Can Improve the Assessment of Decision-Making Capacity for Persons with Dementia. Journal of Clinical Ethics. 2006 Summer; 17(2); 139–148. PMID: 16913149.
• Merel SE, McCormick WC. Geriatricians and Hospitalists: Opportunities for Partnership. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2010 Sep; 58(9):1803–1805. PMID: 20863344.
• Labella AM, Merel SE, Phelan EA. Ten Ways To Improve the Care of Elderly Patients in the Hospital. J Hosp Med. 2011 Jul-Aug; 6(6):351–357. PMID: 21834118.
• Shoeb M*, Merel SE, Jackson MB, Anawalt BD. “Can We Just Stop and Talk?” Patients Value Verbal Communication About Discharge Care Plans. J Hosp Med 2012 Jul-Aug;7:504–507. *trainee. PMID: 22447649.
• Merel SE, Murray SB. Decisional Capacity. Hosp Med Clin 2013 Apr;2:e263–273.
• Labella AM, Merel SE. Influenza. Medical Clinics of North America 2013 Jul; 97(4):621-45. PMID 23809717.
• Merel S, DeMers S, Vig E. Palliative Care in Advanced Dementia. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 2014 Aug; 30(3): 469-92. PMID 25037291. 
• Merel SE, Stafford MM, White AA, Fligner CF, Amory JK, Hagman MM. Providers’ Beliefs About Expressing Condolences to the Family of a Deceased Patient: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2015 Mar; 18(3): 217-24. PMID 25493629.
• Carlson C†, Merel SE, Yukawa M. Geriatric Syndromes and Assessment for the Generalist. Medical Clinics of North America 2015 Mar; 99(2): 263-79. PMID 25700583. †trainee.
• Wong CJ, White AA, Merel SE, Brock DM, Staiger TO. A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Publication Types in Quality Improvement Journals. American Journal of Medical Quality 2016 July; 31(4): 364-9. PMID 25753452.
• Merel SE††, Meier CA††, McKinney CM, Pottinger PS. Antimicrobial Use in Patients on a Comfort Care Protocol: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2016 Nov; 19(11):1210-14. PMID 27309999. ††co-first authors.
• Merel SE, McKinney CM, Ufkes P†, Kwan AC†, White AA. Sitting at patients’ bedsides may improve patients’ perceptions of physician communication skills. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2016 Dec; 11(12): 865-868. PMID 27378679.
• Merel SE, Paauw DS. Common drug side effects and drug-drug interactions in elderly patients in primary care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2017 July; 65(7):1578-86. PMID 28326532. [invited review].
• Bender MA, Kummet C, Merel SE. Grieve and Light a Virtual Candle. Journal of Palliat Med. 2018 July; 21(7): 889. PMID 29975612.
• Vig EK, Merel SE. Ethics Education During Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2019 Dec;36(12):1076-1080. doi: 10.1177/1049909119864300. Epub 2019 Jul 25. PMID: 31342770.
• Gibbons LM, Hurd CJ, Merel SE. Online Module Builds Skills for Internal Medicine Interns in Responding to Emotions During Complex Serious Illness Conversations. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020 Jun;59(6):1379-1383. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.02.002. Epub 2020 Feb 11. PMID: 32058010.
• Wander PL, Orlov M, Merel SE, Enquobahrie D. Risk factors for severe COVID-19 illness in healthcare workers: Too many unknowns. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2020 Apr 27:1-6. PMID: 32336303.
• Merel SE, Gaster B. Advance Directives for Dementia Can Elicit Preferences to Improve Patient Care. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Jul;68(7):1606-1608. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16492. Epub 2020 May 6. PMID: 32374417.
• Merel SE, Spiker M, Stack SW, Paauw DS. “Tell Me More:” Practicing Primary Palliative Care Skills in a Large, Multi-State Internal Medicine Clerkship. J Palliat Med. 2020 May 14. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2020.0032. Online ahead of print. PMID: 32407163.
• Jeong L, Smith Z, Longino A, Merel SE, McDonough K. Virtual Peer Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Med Sci Educ. 2020 Sept 9;1-2. PMID: 32929390.
• Gibson AW, Gobilot TA, Wang K, Conley E, Coard W, Matsumoto K, Letourneau H, Patel S, Merel SE, Sairenji T, Whipple ME, Ryan MR, Morales LS, Heinen C. A Novel Curriculum for Medical Student Training in LGBTQ Healthcare: A Regional Pathway Experience. J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2020 Oct 26;7:238212050965254. PMID: 33195802.