Sean O’Mahony MB BCh BAO, MS has research and teaching interests that include pain management, end-of-life and palliative care, quality of life at the end of life and clinical outcomes and effectiveness of palliative care programs. He is also interested in understanding how to meet the needs of underserved and minority communities at the end of life.
He is co-demonstrating a three-year, multicenter, multidisciplinary educational demonstration program to expand access to palliative care in community settings across the Chicago metropolitan area. His research endeavors have involved collaboration across multiple disciplines and multiple organizations.
O’Mahony is actively involved in research and education to promote best practices in LGBT health. His involvement in these studies has included study design, recruitment and supervision of study staff, budget oversight and statistical analyses.
His current research activities include evaluation of the effectiveness of multi-institutional education programs, use of medical informatics to promote patient safety in relationship to use of opioid medications and integration of palliative medicine into the care of patients in the intensive care unit.
Our work
- A feasibility study of the efficacy of fentanyl pectin nasal spray for the treatment of oropharyngeal mucositis pain associated with stem cell transplantation
- Programs in 2014-16 to educate palliative medicine clinicians about mind-based stress reduction techniques and to evaluate their impact
- Primary palliative care education program in 2012-17 to improve access for patients with cancer
- ENDING-S clinical trial in 2015-16. This is a study evaluating prognostic criteria for medical ICU patients and the impact of inclusion of families in the care of MICU patients
Recent publications
- O’Mahony S, Nathan S, Mohajer J. Survival prediction in ambulatory stage III/IV Non Small Cell Lung Cancer patients using the Palliative Performance Scale, ECOG and Lung Cancer Symptom Scale e-pub 2015, American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
- Gerhart, JI, Asvat, Y, Lattie, E, O'Mahony S, Duberstein P, Hoerger M Distress, delay of gratification and preference for palliative care in men with prostate cancer, Psychooncology
Apr. 21, 2015. - Jaiger B, O’Mahony S, Perry A, Runge M, Flaska R. Impact of a centralized hospice unit in an inpatient academic hospital. Am J Hosp Palliat Care, Aug. 14, 2015.
- Mayahara M, Berenstein S, O’MahonyS, Wilbur J. E-Pain Reported: A digital pain and analgesic diary for home hospice care. Journal of Palliative Care. Accepted for publication Dec. 21, 2015.
Technology
O’Mahony and his team are developing digital applications for professional education of trainees on opioid safety and palliative care topics. They have developed applications to promote caregiver support for hospice patients.
Funding
The team has $890,000 in support from the Coleman Foundation, Prince Charitable Trust, Cox Foundation and Depomed.
Our team
- Sean O’Mahony, MB BCh BAO, MS
- James Gerhart, PhD
- Masako Mayahara, PhD, RN
Contact us
Email Sean O'Mahony or call (312) 563-3700.