Washington University School of Medicine Oral Histories
Sarah Friebert Oral History
Interviewer
Bryan Sisk MD, MSCI
Files
Download Interview Transcript [PDF] (116 KB)
Summary
Sarah Friebert was interviewed by Brian Sisk on August 26, 2019 for approximately 52 minutes for the Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project.
Scope and Content
Dr. Sarah Friebert begins the interview by describing how she constructed her own academic path during her time as a hematology/oncology fellow and navigated barriers, including her mentor discouraging her and her work in palliative care during her time as a medical trainee.
Dr. Friebert then goes on to describe her early career experiences in hospice care and the positive results she had after reaching out to others in the palliative field for inspiration as she developed her own palliative care service model. She also expresses one of the early barriers to delivering palliative care services was a profession-wide focus on curative care, which was “potentially at the cost of quality of life and family wholeness.” Additionally, she noted the early disregard of palliative care as “glorified social work.” Other barriers she described were territoriality from other physicians, as well as the misconception that hospice and palliative care are the same entity.
Biographical Information: Interviewee
Sarah Friebert is the Director of the Pediatric Palliative Care Division at Akron Children’s Hospital, the Inaugural Chair Holder for the M.D. Leadership Chair in Pediatric Palliative Care at Akron Children’s Hospital, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Northeast Ohio Medical University. Dr. Friebert developed one of the earliest programs in pediatric palliative care in the United States, and she has held many leadership positions over her career in the fields of pediatric palliative and pediatric hospice care. Also, she has made many important contributions to the literature on palliative care for neonates, infants, children, and adolescents. She serves on numerous boards, committees, and organizations locally and nationally. She has also published and coauthored over 50 journal article and texts and is an international presence on pediatric palliative and hospice care.
Biographical Information: Interviewer
Bryan Sisk, MD, MSCI is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and an Assistant Professor in General Medical Sciences as a member of the Bioethics Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his clinical training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sisk was a clinical fellow in pediatric hematology and oncology when he initiated this Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project. As a trainee, Dr. Sisk had a strong interest in palliative care, the approach to the suffering of children, and the history of medicine. Prior to initiating this project, Dr. Sisk performed an in-depth review of the development of pediatric palliative care as a discipline and philosophy. This research culminated in a publication entitled, “Response to Suffering of the Seriously Ill Child: A History of Palliative Care for Children” in the journal Pediatrics. However, this historical review was limited to textbooks and publications. It lacked the personal experience of caring for these children and inspiring the development of a new clinical discipline. Inspired by David Clark’s oral history of the adult hospice movement, Dr. Sisk began to plan this pediatric oral history project.
Of note, this collection of oral histories is incomplete, and many important figures have not (yet) been interviewed. Dr. Sisk’s goal is to continue adding to this collection create a rich repository of personal insights and wisdom from leaders who changed the field of pediatrics.
Interview Date
2019-07-26
Collection Identifier
OH154-S13
Length
Approximately 52 minutes.
Restrictions
Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Recommended Citation
Sarah Friebert Oral History, OH154-S13, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Disclaimer
The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.
Notes
Access to the audio recording for this oral history may be obtained via approval of the archivists at Becker Library. Contact the archives for more information (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).