Biography
Dr. Bridget Fahy is Professor of Surgery and Medicine. She currently serves as the Director of Surgical Palliative Care where her clinical, education, and scholarly activities are focused on increasing the integration of palliative medicine with surgical care.
Her surgical practice is focused on caring for patients with colorectal and gastric malignancies, melanoma, and sarcomas. She also provides in-patient palliative medicine consultation to patients with a wide range of serious illnesses, as well as providing support to their families. As one of less than 100 surgeons with board certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine, she is able to bring her unique training and expertise to all aspects of her academic practice.
Dr. Fahy is an active medical educator for medical students, residents, and fellows in Surgery and Palliative Medicine. She leads numerous educational sessions for learners in the areas of surgical oncology and palliative medicine throughout the year. She has been an invited speaker in these areas for local, regional, and national surgical and palliative medicine conferences. She is a strong advocate for teaching primary palliative care skills to medical students, surgical residents, and attending surgeons.
Her research activities are similarly focused on the integration of palliative care for surgical patients. She and her colleagues from Johns Hopkins and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute were recently awarded a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Grant: A Multi-centered Randomized Controlled Trial of Perioperative Palliative Care Surrounding Cancer Surgery for Patients and Their Family Members (the PERIOP-PC Trial). As the site principal investigator for this first-of-its kind prospective randomized surgical palliative care trial, she will lead the UNM team of surgeons and palliative medicine providers as patients with hepatobiliary and foregut malignancies are randomized to perioperative palliative care versus standard surgical care.
She is a nationally recognized expert in the field of surgical palliative care through her work with the American College of Surgeons Committee on Surgical Palliative Care and as an examination consultant for the American Board of Surgery-Complex General Surgical Oncology Board. Her efforts have focused on integration of palliative medicine topics into general surgery and surgical oncology training as well as the board certification process.
Areas of Specialty
Complex Surgical Oncology
Palliative Medicine
Education
-M.D. 1997 University of California Irvine, California
-Pre-medical studies California State University Post-baccalaureate Long Beach, California
-B.A. Psychology 1987 University of California Los Angeles Psychology
Los Angeles, California
Post-doctoral training including residency/fellowship
-Dual Fellowship (Surgical Oncology, Colorectal Oncology) 2004-2006 Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center New York, New York
-Research Fellow 2000-2002 University of California, Davis Medical Center
Department of Surgery
Davis, CA
Supervisor: Richard J. Bold, M.D.
Subject: Transcriptional regulation of
BCL-2 gene in pancreatic cancer
-General Surgery Residency 1997-2004
University of California, Davis Medical Center
Department of Surgery
Sacramento, California
Certifications
Board Certification: American Board of Surgery (2005, 2015) | Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2012)
Achievements & Awards
-Learning Environment Office Teaching Award 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
-ICARE awards (8) 2020, 2021, 2022
-Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine 2020
-Albuquerque Magazine Top Docs Nominee: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
-Colorectal Surgery, Hospice and Palliative Medicine
-Nominee for Outstanding Surgical Consultant to Hospital Medicine 2017, 2018, 2022
-UNM Excellence in Resident Education, Department of Surgery 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021
-UNM Excellence in Medical Student Education 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
-UNM Faculty Teaching Award, Department of Surgery 2016, 2020, 2022
-Alpha Omega Alpha 2016
-Mid-Career Women Faculty Professional Development Seminar 2015
-University of New Mexico Delegate to Associate of American Medical Colleges
-University of New Mexico Medical Education Scholar 2014-2016
-Kamangar Award: Surgical Resident Training in Medical Ethics 2010
-Claude H. Organ, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S. Traveling Fellowship Award 2009
-The Methodist Hospital Department of Surgery, Barbara Lee Bass Award 2009
-Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Abrams-Trust Surgical Fellow 2006
-UC Davis Resident Research Day Best Paper 2001
-UC Irvine College of Medicine Humanitarian Award 1997
-UC Irvine College of Medicine Service Award 1994, 1995
-UCLA Department of Psychoneuroimmunology Grant 1989
-UCLA Department of Psychology Highest Honors 1987
Gender
Female
Courses Taught
1. “Resident Guide to the Evaluation and Management of Colon Cancer.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. December 2013.
2. “Resident Guide to the Evaluation and Management of Rectal Cancer.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. February 2014.
3. “Pain 101: Acute Pain Management for Surgical Residents.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. April 2014.
4. “Pain 101: Acute Pain Management for Surgical Residents.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. July 2015.
5. “Palliative Care: Helpful Information for Interns.” UNM Fundamental Critical Care Support Course. Albuquerque, NM. July 2015.
6. “Melanoma.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. November 2015.
7. “Artificial Nutrition and Hydration in Palliative Care.” University of New Mexico Palliative Care Rounds. Albuquerque, NM. March 2016.
8. “Gastric Cancer.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. September 2017.
9. “Pain 101: Acute Pain Management for Surgical Residents.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. September 2018.
10. “Surgical Management of Melanoma.” Presenter. University of New Mexico Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. November 2018.
11. “Surgical Management of Melanoma.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. November 2020.
12. “Surgical Management of Sarcoma.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. May 2021
13. “Surgical Management of Melanoma and Skin Cancers.” Presenter. University of New Mexico General Surgery Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. October 2022.
14. “Informed Consent for ENT Residents.” Faculty Facilitator. University of New Mexico Otolaryngology Residency Didactic Series. Albuquerque, NM. February 2023.
Research and Scholarship
1. Newcomb, Michael D.; Bentler, P. M.; Fahy, Bridget. Cocaine use and psychopathology: Associations among young adults. International Journal of the Addictions, 22 (12):1167-1188. 1987.
2. Newcomb, Michael D.; Fahy, Bridget N.; Skager, Rodney. Correlates of cocaine use among adolescents. Journal of Drug Issues, 18(3):327-354. 1988.
3. Newcomb, Michael D.; Fahy, Bridget; Skager, Rodney. Reasons to avoid drug use among teenagers: Associations with actual drug use and implications for prevention among different demographic groups. Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education, 36(1):53-81. 1990.
4. Singer EJ, Zorilla C, Fahy-Chandon B, Chi S, Syndulko K, Tourtellotte WW. Painful symptoms reported by ambulatory HIV-infected men in a longitudinal study. Pain, 54(1):15-19. 1993.
5. Schmid P; Conrad A; Syndulko K; Singer EJ; Handley D; Li X; Tao G; Fahy-Chandon B; Tourtellotte WW. Quantifying HIV-1 proviral DNA using the polymerase chain reaction on cerebrospinal fluid and blood of seropositive individuals with and without neurologic abnormalities. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 7(8):777-788. 1994.