Ana I. Flores

Ana I. Flores, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at Penn State College of Medicine and serves as Program Director for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Employed by Penn State Health, she provides inpatient/outpatient palliative care consultations, complex medical decision support, and hospice care management across the Penn State Health system.

Her academic training includes:

• Medical Degree from Universidad De Guadalajara (2010)
• Internal Medicine Residency at Lincoln Medical Center (2016)
• Palliative Care Fellowship at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center, New York (2017)
• Additional Palliative Care Fellowship at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Dr. Flores maintains dual research trajectories spanning palliative medicine and cardiology. Early career work centered on ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) interventions, examining door-to-balloon time optimization and adjunct therapies through registry database analysis. Current research focuses on complex symptom management, end-of-life decision frameworks, and hospice care integration within academic medical systems. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges critical care cardiology with palliative methodologies to address transitions in care for life-limiting illnesses.

Her 2009-2010 publications established foundational work in STEMI community care protocols, analyzing real-world registry data to reduce treatment delays and evaluate therapeutic adjuncts. These studies highlighted systemic barriers in emergency cardiac care while demonstrating how community hospital networks can implement evidence-based protocols for acute coronary syndromes.

As Fellowship Program Director, Dr. Flores oversees curriculum development and clinical training for palliative medicine specialists. Her leadership integrates clinical mentorship with systems-based practice improvement, emphasizing communication skills and interdisciplinary team coordination. No active research grants or external funding sources are specified in available documentation.