Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) - Pediatric Palliative Care at Weill Cornell Medicine

About Us

The Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) at Weill Cornell Medicine provides comprehensive, compassionate and interdisciplinary palliative care to children. From the moment of diagnosis and throughout the medical journey, our pediatric palliative care specialists aim to ensure young patients with serious illnesses live their fullest lives while their families feel empowered and supported.

Why Choose Weill Cornell Medicine

As a leading center in the country for diagnosing and treating childhood diseases, we provide access to world-class pediatric specialists who collaborate closely with primary medical teams to deliver care that aligns with each family's unique goals and values.

Our interdisciplinary approach brings together experts from many disciplines, including:

• Pediatric medical and nursing teams
• Spiritual care professionals
• Child life specialists
• Social workers
• Creative arts therapists

This collaboration ensures that care is tailored to meet the unique physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of every child and family.

The Pediatric Advanced Care Team also sees parents as vital members of their child’s care team. Parents’ input is critical for making decisions regarding a child’s care, and our team is here to work alongside the entire family to achieve the best care possible.

Services We Offer

Palliative care services are not limited to end-of-life care; they are focused on maximizing quality of life and helping patients live as well as possible. The Weill Cornell Medicine Pediatric Advanced Care Team offers an extra layer of support with the following: 

• Assistance with complex medical decision-making. We help families navigate challenging medical decisions, including those that involve advanced medical technologies.
• Symptom management. We specialize in managing pain and other symptoms—such as fatigue, nausea and shortness of breath—related to serious illnesses or their treatments.
• Emotional and spiritual support. We provide holistic care that addresses the emotional and spiritual well-being of patients and their families.
• Advance care planning. We discuss medical interventions and help establish long-term care goals, including end-of-life care, with families of children facing serious illness.
• Transition coordination. We help ensure that children leaving the hospital with serious illness have the support they need, including local hospice services, if eligible.

PACT currently only provides inpatient consultations, which are available to infants, children and adolescents admitted at Weill Cornell Medicine and currently receiving care through the following departments:

• General Pediatrics
• Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
• Hematology and Oncology
• Pediatric Surgery
• Trauma, Burn, Acute and Critical Care

Meet With Our Team

If you are interested in meeting with PACT for an evaluation, please speak with your child’s medical care team. They can place a referral for a consultation, which is a time to assess the goals and preferences of your child and family as the first step towards creating a customized care plan. 

Our Providers

Our team provides compassionate care to infants, children and adolescents. With extensive training in pediatric palliative care, our specialists have a deep understanding of the total care needs of young patients’ body, mind and spirit. Working alongside treatment teams, we are committed to creating a supportive and nurturing environment for all patients and their families.

Jennifer Salant, M.D.
Teresa Vente, D.O., MPH
Stephen Douglas, M.Div., MFA

Testimonials

"We cannot express enough gratitude for PACT at Weill Cornell Medical Center. Their exceptional care and expertise have surrounded our daughter from day one. From the very beginning, they not only provided expert medical support to our daughter but also ensured that we, as parents, were fully informed and emotionally supported. Their genuine compassion and understanding have made a profound difference in our lives, guiding us through each difficult step with clarity and empathy. Even in moments of uncertainty, their reassuring presence and willingness to answer every question have given us the strength to continue this fight.  

Thank you, PACT, for being the beacon of hope and compassion during our most trying times. Your expertise, patience and personal touch have truly made all the difference."

- Zach and Veronica Rosch

"I can’t find enough words of gratitude for the comfort and support the Palliative Advanced Care Team (PACT) gave to my family during our darkest days. I wish all hospital stays ended with our children getting better and going home to their lives. For us, the days leading up to and the weeks following our son’s time in intensive care, intubated, were the worst of our life as we watched doctors discuss ways to address ongoing medical complications from organs failing, respiratory distress, blood infections, internal bleeding and even latent effects on skin from chemotherapy treatment.

The challenges of multi-system disorders and treatment and the roller coaster of emotions were not new to us. Our son was born with a rare degenerative genetic disease, with much still unknown. I struggled with my feelings, facing my fears and worries, and even how to connect his specialists to the hospital care team. We needed help.

When the head of PACT came to introduce the team and explain how they were here to support us, it was a blessing. For the first time in weeks, we didn’t feel so alone. They gave us a safe space to talk about what was happening, how we were feeling, coping. We spoke about our son, what he was like, his spirit, what was happening and what he’d want. Being able to share my thoughts and feelings was a comfort. Knowing they knew our son through our stories and pictures brought joy during sorrow. 

They couldn’t change what was happening, but they understood what was happening from the medical and human perspectives, could answer or get answers to our questions and were strong advocates for us with our hospital care team. With support, compassion and pastoral care, PACT was there helping me feel less anxious and peaceful in our son’s final days."

- Patient anonymity requested

Parent Resources

Prepping for the Consultation

We want to help families identify and communicate their goals, hopes and concerns regarding their child’s illness and treatment journey. Whether weighing the benefits and risks of treatment options or creating a plan to maximize a child’s quality of life, our team is here to support families through the entire process.

While no preparation is needed, it may be helpful for families to reflect on specific questions before the initial consultation to gather their thoughts and navigate this journey with clarity and understanding.   

• What do we consider most important for our child’s well-being and quality of life?
• What symptoms or challenges is our child experiencing that we would like help managing?
• Are there any cultural, spiritual or personal beliefs we would like our child’s care team to consider?
• Are there specific treatments, interventions or care approaches we prefer or wish to avoid for our child?