Teresa “Teri” Palm, a physician assistant and a member of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep & Allergy — a woman colleagues called integral to the growth and development of the division — died Nov. 22 at the age of 60.
Friends and co-workers said that Palm’s impact at UNMC will prove lasting, and Debra Romberger, M.D., chair of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, said it was hard to imagine how the division will continue without her.
“Her patients and her co-workers, including myself, respected her so much,” Dr. Romberger said. “She had many talents that she shared generously. Our hearts are breaking for her family as we all know how much she loved them. ”
Apart from her passion as a clinician, she was integral to the evolution of the division, said division chief Joe Sisson, M.D.
“That’s a legacy we hold dear, because she helped build things that didn’t exist before.”
One of the things Palm is credited with helping build is the “allergy” portion of the division. Jill Poole, M.D., section chief of allergy, called Palm a colleague, friend and outstanding clinician.
“It’s a huge loss to the institution,” Dr. Poole said.
“Teri worked with me for more than a decade,” she said. “In the early years especially, her help was invaluable to developing and sustaining an Internal Medicine allergy program.”
“There was a great camaraderie, and she had a great rapport with patients and members of the health care team. We will miss her deeply.”
Besides being reliable and hardworking, Palm was known in the workplace for her ready smile, said Austin Thompson, M.D., a professor in the division.
“She always made the work environment brighter by her presence,” he said.
“Teri had really specialized knowledge in her areas of pulmonary medicine, knowledge that was gathered over years of service, knowledge that is going to be really difficult to replace,” he said.
He also noted Palm’s “great rapport” with patients, especially older ones.
“She had originally worked in geriatrics, and she continued with that interest,” he said.
But Palm touched the lives of her co-workers in many ways.
She was a fixture at the annual holiday party, leading the planning and joining Dr. Sisson on stage when he emceed the event.
She helped build and establish the pulmonary hypertension clinic, was involved with the sleep team, and assisted in structuring the fellows clinic for the division.
But she also served as the impetus for social activities outside of the office.
“She was kind of the glue of a lot of things in the culture of our division,” Dr. Sisson said. “She helped change it, grow it, and enrich it.”