R. Sean Morrison, MD
- PROFESSOR AND SYSTEM CHAIR | Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
- PROFESSOR | Anesthesiology, Perioperative & Pain Medicine
- PROFESSOR | Medicine
Specialties:
Geriatrics, Palliative Care, Hospital Medicine, Internal MedicineDr. R. Sean Morrison is the Ellen and Howard C. Katz Professor and Chair for the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also the Director of the Lilian and Benjamin Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute and the National Palliative Care Research Center, organizations devoted to improving care for persons with serious illness and their families and enhancing the knowledge base of palliative care in the United States. During 2009-2010, he served as President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Dr. Morrison is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine's 2010 PDIA National Leadership Award and the 2013 Excellence in Scientific Research Award, the American Geriatrics Society’s Outstanding Achievement for Clinical Investigation Award, and the American Cancer Society’s Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Award and Pathfinder in Palliative Care Award. His current research focuses on improving the management of pain in older adults and on developing and evaluating models of palliative care delivery in hospitals and the community.
Dr. Morrison has received over fifty million dollars in research funding and published over 200 research articles. His work has appeared in all major peer-reviewed medical journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. He edited the first textbook on geriatric palliative care, recently edited a new textbook on evidence-based palliative care, and has contributed to more than 20 books on the subject of palliative care. As one of the leading figures in the field of palliative medicine, Dr. Morrison has appeared numerous times on television, radio, and in print, including ABC World News Tonight, CNN, MSNBC, BBC news, NPR’s “Marketplace", CBC’s "As It Happens”; and the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Washington Post, Guardian (UK), Globe and Mail (Canada).
Dr. Morrison received his BA from Brown University and his MD from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed his residency training at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center followed by fellowship training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He has been on the faculty of the Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine and Department of Medicine at Mount Sinai since 1995.
Education
MD, robus
Residency, Internal Medicine, New York Hospital
Fellowship, Geriatric Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital
Patient-Oriented Research in Geriatric Palliative Care
NIH/NIA
PI: RS Morrison
9/11/08 - 8/31/13
This study is a career development award to conduct patient-oriented research and mentor junior investigators.
Promoting Independence Through Pain and Symptom Management
NIH/NIA
PI: Siu
Substantial data suggest that the care of older adults living with serious illness is in need of improvement. The proposed OAIC would establish a sustainable infrastructure to support the development of new investigators in geriatric palliative care research; support research in geriatric palliative care; and, develop or adapt instruments, designs, and analytic methods necessary to improve care for seriously ill older adults.
Palliative Care for Hospitalized Cancer Patients
NIH/NCI
PI: Meier
Co-PI: Morrison
12/06 - 11/11
This project seeks to evaluate the clinical outcomes of palliative care consultation teams on the care of hospitalized patients with advanced cancer.
National Palliative Care Research and Training Center
Kornfield Foundation
PI: Morrison
7/1/05 - 12/31/11
The Research and Training Center provides a mechanism to encourage and support regular scientific interchange and networking, initiate and coordinate multi-site studies, develop and fund junior investigators, and final pilot students that can lead to larger NIH funded research in 3 key areas: pain and symptom management; health services research; and, improving communication between providers and patients through rigorously designed clinical studies.
Improving Pain and Function in Hip Fracture
NIH/NIA
PI: Morrison
3/08 - 2/13
This project seeks to evaluate the effect of novel regional anesthesia techniques on pain and functional outcomes following hip fracture in older adults.
Hwang U, Richardson L, Harris B, Morrison R. The quality of emergency department pain care for older adult patients. Journal of American Geriatric Society 2010; 58: 2122-2128.
Grudzen C, Richardson L, Morrison M, Cho E, Morrison R. Palliative Care needs of seriously ill, older adults presenting to the Emergency Department. Academic Emergency Medicine 2010; 17: 1253-1257.
Kelley A, Morrison R, Wenger N, Ettner S, Sarkisian C. Determinants of treatment intensity for patients with serious illness: a new conceptual framework. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2010; 13(7): 807-813.
Weissman D, Morrison R, Meier D. Center to Advance Palliative Care Palliative Care Clinical Care and customer satisfaction metrics consensus recommendations. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2010; 13(2): 179-184.
Morrison R, Flanagan S, Fischberg D, Cintron A, Siu A. A novel interdisciplinary analgesic program reduces pain and improves function in older adults after orthopedic surgery. Journal of the American Geriatric Society 2009; 57: 1-10.
Siu A, Spragens L, Inouye S, Morrison R, Leff B. The ironic business care for chronic care in the acute care setting. Health Affairs 2009 Jan-Feb; 28(1): 113-125.
Morrison R, Penrod J, Cassel J. Cost saving associated with U.S. hospital Palliative Care consultation programs. Arch Intern Med 2008 Sept 8; 168(16): 1783-1790.
Goldstein N, Genden E, Morrison R. Palliative care for patients with head and neck cancer: . JAMA 2009 Apr 16; 299(15): 1818-1825.
Gelfman L, Meier D, R. Does palliative care improve quality? A survey of bereaved family members. J Pain Symptom Management 2008; 26: 22-28.
Morrison R, Meier DE, editors. Geriatric Palliative Care. New York, Oxford University Press; 2003.
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Morrison during 2022 and/or 2023. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Consulting:
- UpToDate Inc.
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.
Physicians who provide services at hospitals and facilities in the Mount Sinai Health System might not participate in the same health plans as those Mount Sinai hospitals and facilities (even if the physicians are employed or contracted by those hospitals or facilities).
Information regarding insurance participation and billing by this physician may be found on this page, and can also be obtained by contacting this provider directly. Because physicians insurance participation can change, the insurance information on this page may not always be up-to-date. Please contact this physician directly to obtain the most up-to-date insurance information.
Insurance and health plan networks that the various Mount Sinai Health System hospitals and facilities participate in can be found on the Mount Sinai Health System website.