Stephen Berns
Associate Professor, Larner College of Medicine
Holly and Bob Miller Endowed Chair for Palliative Medicine
Division Chief, Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine
Director, TalkVermont & TalkNY
PRONOUNS he/him
- M.D. Distinction in Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- B.A. Biological Anthropology, Highest Honors, Brandeis University Waltham, MA
- Clinical Research Fellow Pulmonary Medicine, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, New York, NY
- Resident Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Fellow Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Chief Resident Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
Department of Family Medicine, Division of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Areas of expertise
serious illness communication, palliative care education, interprofessional education, impact of palliative care for health systems
BIO
Dr. Stephen Berns is the Holly and Bob Miller Endowed Chair in Palliative Medicine and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. He serves as Division Chief of Hospice & Palliative Medicine for UVM Health, where he provides clinical and academic leadership across six hospitals and UVM Health's hospice agency. His work focuses on advancing person-centered, goal-concordant care for patients and families facing serious illness, while strengthening interprofessional collaboration across the health system. A national leader in serious illness communication and medical education, Dr. Berns has delivered more than 4,000 hours of communication skills and faculty development training over the past two decades. He directs TalkVermont, a system-wide program that has trained more than 3,000 clinicians in communication and team-based care. Nationally, he serves as Distinguished Faculty for VitalTalk and has collaborated with Ariadne Labs’ Serious Illness Care Program and the ACGME to advance competency-based education and assessment. His scholarship and leadership center on building psychologically safe learning environments, fostering inclusive facilitation, and equipping clinicians across professions to navigate difficult conversations with compassion, clarity, and humanity.
Courses
Advancing Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2020-present)
Foundations of Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2019-present)
Mastering Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2019-present)
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Bridge Week, Larner College of Medicine (2018-2025)
Professionalism, Communication and Reflection, Larner College of Medicine (2018-present)
Awards and Achievements
- Distinguished Educator, Larner Teaching Academy (2026)
- Learner Assessment Award, Larner Teaching Academy (2026)
- AACN–Gold Interprofessional Humanism in Healthcare Award, Arnold Gold Foundation (2025)
- Holly and Bob Miller Endowed Chair in Palliative Medicine, University of Vermont (2024)
- Continuing Medical Education Educator Award, UVM Health (2021)
- Hospice and Palliative Emerging Leader, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2020)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2018)
- Sojourns Scholar Leadership Award, Cambia Health (2018)
Bio
Dr. Stephen Berns is the Holly and Bob Miller Endowed Chair in Palliative Medicine and Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. He serves as Division Chief of Hospice & Palliative Medicine for UVM Health, where he provides clinical and academic leadership across six hospitals and UVM Health's hospice agency. His work focuses on advancing person-centered, goal-concordant care for patients and families facing serious illness, while strengthening interprofessional collaboration across the health system. A national leader in serious illness communication and medical education, Dr. Berns has delivered more than 4,000 hours of communication skills and faculty development training over the past two decades. He directs TalkVermont, a system-wide program that has trained more than 3,000 clinicians in communication and team-based care. Nationally, he serves as Distinguished Faculty for VitalTalk and has collaborated with Ariadne Labs’ Serious Illness Care Program and the ACGME to advance competency-based education and assessment. His scholarship and leadership center on building psychologically safe learning environments, fostering inclusive facilitation, and equipping clinicians across professions to navigate difficult conversations with compassion, clarity, and humanity.
Courses
Advancing Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2020-present)
Foundations of Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2019-present)
Mastering Serious Illness Conversations, TalkVermont & TalkNY (2019-present)
Hospice and Palliative Medicine Bridge Week, Larner College of Medicine (2018-2025)
Professionalism, Communication and Reflection, Larner College of Medicine (2018-present)
Awards and Achievements
- Distinguished Educator, Larner Teaching Academy (2026)
- Learner Assessment Award, Larner Teaching Academy (2026)
- AACN–Gold Interprofessional Humanism in Healthcare Award, Arnold Gold Foundation (2025)
- Holly and Bob Miller Endowed Chair in Palliative Medicine, University of Vermont (2024)
- Continuing Medical Education Educator Award, UVM Health (2021)
- Hospice and Palliative Emerging Leader, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2020)
- Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (2018)
- Sojourns Scholar Leadership Award, Cambia Health (2018)
Top Publications
Sorokow, N, C. Lauf and SH Berns. The Strength of a Story: Partnering with a Community Organization to Destigmatize Substance-Use Disorder., MedEdPortal. 2025:21:11487.
Ketterer, B, L. Dingfield, K. Stowers, K. Morrison, A. Bailey, H. Flint, G. Buckholz, L. Morrison, H.. Yang, and SH Berns. AAHPM Assessment Work Group: Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Assessment Needs and Direction. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2024. Dec 19: S0885-3924(24)01210-7. PMID: 39709136
Arnold, RA, SH Berns, and T. October. Fast Facts #485: Developing a Shared Headline Before a Family Meeting. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 27(8):1093-1094. 2024. PMID: 38916070
Yuen JK, Kelley AS, Gelfman LP, Lindenberger EE, Smith CB, Arnold RM, Calton B, Schell J, and SH Berns. Development and Validation of the ACP-CAT for Assessing the Quality of Advance Care Planning Communication. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2020 Jan; 59(1)):1-8. PMID: 31520727
Berns, SH, Camargo M, Meier D, and Yuen JK. Goals of Care Resident Ambulatory Education (GOCARE): Training Residents in Advance Care Planning Conversations in the Outpatient Setting. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 2017 Dec;20(12):1345-1351. PMID: 28661787