The Institute to Enhance Palliative Care at Pitt's School of Medicine has received a two-year grant of $150,000 from the National Palliative Care Research Center and a separate award of $100,000 from the Jewish Health Care Foundation in Pittsburgh for the purpose of improving the ability of critical care fellows to communicate with their patients about end-of-life issues. The principal investigator and grant recipient, Robert Arnold, MD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, indicates that studies have demonstrated that good communication allows patients to receive care consistent with their goals and decreases family distress.