Welcome Dr. Jaime Goldberg, Advocate for Older Adults
For Dr. Jaime Goldberg, the field of palliative care was a natural extension of her time spent working with older adults at Little Brothers–Friends of the Elderly in Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Goldberg says, “I was drawn to the fields of aging and palliative care through personal and professional encounters with older adults, watching the challenges they faced as they aged and experienced illness, literally and figuratively losing their voice, with nobody to advocate for them.”
Seeking to be that advocate, Dr. Goldberg earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from Washington University in St. Louis Brown School of Social Work, and after 12 years of palliative social work in the hospital setting, decided to pursue her PhD. “I knew immediately that the Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work was the place for me because of the incredible faculty.”
With the support of Major Professor Dr. Jooyoung Kong, Dr. Goldberg completed her dissertation, Caring for a Parent Who Harmed You Through Their Serious Illness or End of Life. Her qualitative dissertation included interviewing caregivers to “lift up their voices and to better understand their motivations, experiences, and encounters with healthcare professionals.” Dr. Goldberg’s goal is to “inform the creation of more robust support and resources for these often–overlooked caregivers and assist healthcare professionals to recognize, assess, and intervene more effectively when working with individuals and families with this history.”
To the delight of faculty, staff, and peers at the School of Social Work, post–graduation, Dr. Goldberg will remain at UW–Madison as a researcher for the School of Medicine and Public Health. Continuing her advocacy work, she will work with patients and families to improve communication and decision–making in the intensive care unit setting. Congratulations Jaime!