Puja Umaretiya, MD

Puja Umaretiya, MD majored in molecular and cellular biology at the University of Arizona and graduated summa cum laude. She then attended Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota, where she was involved in a variety of clinical research projects. Her publications span a wide range of topics, from the effects of calcium supplementation on bone mineral density in children in Nigeria to the relationship of asthma to breakthrough varicella infections. During her time in the Boston Combined Residency Program in pediatrics, Puja’s research interests focused on the intersection of clinical oncology and palliative care. She was awarded a Lovejoy grant to create a formalized curriculum for pediatric residents, with the aim of teaching fundamental clinical and communication skills to increase resident comfort in the care of patients at the end-of-life. Puja’s ongoing work with Kira Bona, MD, MPH, and Joanne Wolfe, MD, MPH, seeks to better understand disparities in the end-of-life care received by pediatric oncology patients across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. After residency, she completed the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care fellowship prior to starting her oncology training.