Deena R. Levine, MD

Associate Member, St. Jude Faculty

Bioethics Consultant

Departments

Department of Oncology

Divisions

Quality of Life and Palliative Care Division

Education

BA – Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
MD – Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Residency – University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey
Fellowship – Johns Hopkins - National Institute of Health, Baltimore - Bethesda, Maryland

Research Interests

Pediatric palliative care and end of life care
Early integration of palliative care with oncology care
Bioethical issues in pediatric oncology
Decision making in pediatric oncology
Quality improvement to ensure the best care for pediatric oncology patients

Contact Information

Deena R. Levine, MD Quality of Life & Palliative Care MS 260, Room C6029 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38105-3678

Email: deena.levine@stjude.org
Phone: (901) 595-8149
Fax: (901) 521-9005

St. Jude Faculty List

Selected Publications

Levine D, Liederbach E, Johnson LM, Kaye EC, Spraker-Perlman H, Mandrell BN, Pritchard M, Sykes A, Lu Z, Wendler D, Baker JN. Are We Meeting the Informational Needs of Cancer Patients and Families? Perception of Physician Communication in Pediatric Oncology. Cancer 1;125(9):1518-1526, 2019.

Levine D, Baker JN, Wolfe J, Lehmann LE, Ullrich C. Strange Bedfellows No More: How Integrated Stem Cell Transplant and Palliative Care Programs Can Together Improve EOL Care. Journal of Oncology Practice 13(9):569-577, 2017.

Levine D, Johnson LM, Baker JN. Navigating Nondisclosure Requests in Pediatrics: Honesty and Sensitivity Are Transcultural Practices. JAMA Pediatrics 2017.

Levine D, Mandrell BN, Sykes A, Pritchard M, Gibson D, Symons HJ, Wendler D, Baker JN. Patients’ and Parents’ Needs, Attitudes, and Perceptions About Early Palliative Care Integration in Pediatric Oncology. JAMA Oncology 3(9):1214-1220, 2017.

Levine D, Johnson LM, Wiser RK, Gibson D, Kane JR, Baker JN. Integrating Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology: Evidence for an Evolving Paradigm of Comprehensive Cancer Care. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 14(6):741-8, 2016.

Levine D, Johnson LM, Mandrell B, Yang J, West N, Hinds PS, Baker JN. Does Phase I Trial Enrollment Preclude Quality End of Life Care? Phase I Trial Enrollment and End of Life Care Characteristics in Children with Cancer. Cancer 1;121(9):1508-12, 2015.

Levine D, Lam C, Cunningham M, Baker JN, et al. Best practices for pediatric palliative cancer care: a primer for clinical providers. Journal of Supportive Oncology 11(3):114-125, 2013.

Levine D, Cohen K, Wendler D. Shared medical decision-making: considering what options to present based on an ethical analysis of the treatment of brain tumors in very young children. Pediatric Blood Cancer 59:216–220, 2012.

Levine D, Johnson LM. The Ethics of Everyday Clinical Encounters: Unique Considerations for Adolescents and Young Adults: Ethical Issues in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Ed. Mazur. Springer, 2019.

Kaye EC, Gushue CA, DeMarsh S, Jerkins J, Li C, Lu Z, Snaman JM, Blazin L, Johnson LM, Levine D, Morrison RR, Baker JN. Impact of Race and Ethnicity on End-of-Life Experiences for Children With Cancer. Am J Hosp Palliat Care Epub ahead of Print March 2019.

Kaye EC, DeMarsh S, Gushue CA, Jerkins J, Sykes A, Lu Z, Snaman JM, Blazin L, Johnson LM, Levine D, Morrison RR, Baker JN. Predictors of Location of Death for Children With Cancer Enrolled on a Palliative Care Service. Oncologist 23(12):1525-1532, 2018.

Snaman JM, Kaye EC, Spraker-Perlman H, Levine D, Clark L, Wilcox R, Barnett B, Sykes A, Lu Z, Cunningham MJ, Baker JN. Incorporating Bereaved Parents as Faculty Facilitators and Educators in Teaching Principles of Palliative and End-of-Life Care. Am J Hosp Palliat Care 35(12):1518-1525, 2018.

Kaye EC, Jerkins J, Gushue CA, DeMarsh S, Sykes A, Lu Z, Snaman JM, Blazin L, Johnson LM, Levine D, Morrison RR, Baker JN. Predictors of Late Palliative Care Referral in Children with Cancer. J Pain Symptom Manage 55(6):1550-6, 2018.

Snaman JM, Talleur AC, Lu J, Levine D, Kaye EC, Sykes A, Lu Z, Triplett BM, Baker JN. Treatment intensity and symptom burden in hospitalized adolescent and young adult hematopoietic cell transplant recipients at the end of life. Bone Marrow Transplant 53(1):84-90, 2018.

Kaye EC, Gushue CA, DeMarsh S, Jerkins J, Sykes A, Lu Z, Snaman JM, Blazin L, Johnson LM, Levine D, Morrison RR, Baker JN. Illness and end-of-life experiences of children with cancer who receive palliative care. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 65(4), 2018.

Kaye EC, Snaman JM, Johnson LM, Levine D, et al. Communication with Children with Cancer and their Families throughout the Illness Journey and at the End of Life. Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology. Ed. Wolfe, Jones, Kreicbergs, & Momcillo. Cham: Springer, 2017. 55-94.

Snaman JM, Kaye EC, Sykes A, Levine D, Mahoney D, Baker JN. Going Straight to the Source: A Pilot Study of Bereaved Parent-Facilitated Communication Training for Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows. Pediatric Blood and Cancer 64(1):156-162, 2017.

Snaman JM, Kaye EC, Levine D, Cochran B, Wilcox R,Sparrow CK, Noyes N, Clark L, Baker JN. Empowering bereaved parents in the Development of a Comprehensive Bereavement Program. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 53(4):767-775, 2017.

Levine D, Johnson LM, Baker JN. Navigating Nondisclosure Requests in Pediatrics: Honesty and Sensitivity Are Transcultural Practices. JAMA Pediatrics 2017.

Levine D, Johnson LM, Wiser RK, Gibson D, Kane JR, Baker JN. Integrating Palliative Care in Pediatric Oncology: Evidence for an Evolving Paradigm of Comprehensive Cancer Care. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 14(6):741-8, 2016.

Mandrell BN, Baker JN, Levine D, Gattuso J, Coan A,Yang Y, Gajjar A, Bronicher A. Patients With No Chance for Cure: Patient and Parent Proxy Reported Quality of Life and the Impact on the Parental Physical and Mental Health During the Treatment Trajectory. Journal of Neuro Oncology 129(2):373-81, 2016.

Snaman JM, Torres C, Duffy B, Levine D, Gibson, D, Baker JN. Parental Perspectives of Communication at the End of Life at a Pediatric Oncology Institution. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 19(3):326-32, 2016.

Snaman JM, Kaye EC, Levine D, Chesney PJ, Jackson WC, Cunningham MJ, Baker JN. Palliative Oncology: A New Training Model for an Emerging Field. Journal of Clinical Oncology 20;34(3):288-9, 2016.

Baker JN, Levine D, Hinds P, Weaver MS, Cunningham MJ, Anghelescu D, Johnson LM, Mandrell B, Gibson DV, Jones B, Wolfe J, Feudtner C, Freibert S, Carter B, Kane JR. Research Priorities in Pediatric Palliative Care: A Delphi Study. The Journal of Pediatrics 167(2):467-70, 2015.

Kaye EC, Rubenstein J, Levine D, Baker JN, Friebert S. Pediatric Palliative Care in the Community: Extending the Care Continuum for Children with Cancer. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 65(4):316-33, 2015.

Vern-Gross TZ, Lam CG, Levine D, Graff Z, Singhal S, Gibson D, Coan A, Yuan Y, Anghalescu D, Baker, JN. Patterns of End-of-Life Care in Children with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Enrolled on a Palliative Care Service. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 50(3):305-12, 2015.

Levine D., Baker JN. “We’ve been dating long enough; It’s time to talk marriage”: Palliative Care and Stem Cell Transplant. AAP Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine Newsletter June 2014.

Cunningham M, Mahoney D, Levine D, Snaman JM, Lyman J, Baker JN. Symptom Management Chapter for “A Parent’s Guide to Enhancing Quality of Life in Children with Cancer” a publication of the American Childhood Cancer Organization, 2014.