Trowbridge Lab

Dr. Trowbridge’s current research projects focus on improving palliative care access and delivery for patients from diverse backgrounds and teaching primary palliative care and communication skills to health professionals at all levels.

Investigator Biography

Amy Christine Trowbridge, MD

Amy Trowbridge, MD is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and an attending physician on the Palliative Care Team. She is the Co-Director of the University of Washington’s Palliative Care Training Center (www.pctc.uw.edu), the Director of Pediatric Education for the Cambia Palliative Care Center of Education, and the Director of Education for the Division of Bioethics and Palliative Care. She earned her MD from Weill Cornell Medical College, completed Pediatrics residency at University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Hospital, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In her spare time, Amy likes to zip around Seattle on her e-bike and watch her 2 kids (Harrison and June) grow. 

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Current Research/Scholarship Projects

Implementing and Disseminating Quality Metrics and Educational Programs for Primary and Specialty Pediatric Palliative Care

Dr. Trowbridge leads the education arm of this project, the goal of which is to develop a series of interactive, evidence-based educational modules on key aspects of pediatric palliative care for interprofessional clinicians, and to further develop the pediatric track of the University of Washington’s Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care.

Understanding Care Conference Communication for Seriously Ill Patients and Families

The goal of this project is to better understand the content and structure of communication in care conferences for children with serious illness, and to compare communication for families whose preferred language is English and those who prefer a language other than English.

A Simulation-Based Goals of Care Curriculum for Pediatric Residents

The goal of this project is to create novel simulation-based communication training programs for pediatric residents focused on sharing serious news, eliciting goals and values, and making values-based recommendations for patients with serious illness.

Highlighted Publications

1. Trowbridge A, Wightman A, Kett J. Promise me she'll survive: Navigating emotion and uncertainty in paediatric chronic disease with low-mortality rates. Acta Paediatr. 2022 Mar;111(3):464-466. doi: 10.1111/apa.16179. Epub 2021 Dec 3. PMID: 34751969.
2. Bogetz JF, Trowbridge A, Lewis H, Jonas D, Hauer J, Rosenberg AR. Forming Clinician-Parent Therapeutic Alliance for Children with Severe Neurologic Impairment. Hosp Pediatr.
3. Trowbridge A, Bamat T, Griffis H, McConathey E, Feudtner C, Walter J.  Pediatric Resident Experience Caring for Children at the End of Life in a Children’s Hospital. Acad Pediatr. Jan-Feb 2020;20(1):81-88. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2019.07.008; PMID: 31376579
4. Trowbridge A, Walter JK, McConathey E, Morrison W, Feudtner C. Modes of Death Within a Children’s Hospital. Pediatrics. 2018;142(4):11. doi: 10.1542/peds.2017-4182; PMID: 30232217
5. Bogetz JF, Lewis H, Trowbridge A, Jonas D, Hauer J, Wilfond BS. From Monochromatic to Technicolor: Parent Perspectives on Challenges and Approaches to Seeing Children with Severe Neurological Impairment Holistically. J Palliat Med. 2021 Sep 22. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0344. PMID: 34551279.