Katharine E. Secunda, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine (Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care)
Medical Director, Pavilion Medical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Department: Medicine
Contact information
3400 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Education:
BS (Education and Social Policy)
Northwestern University, 2007.
Post bac (Pre-health Program)
Loyola University, 2009.
MD (Medicine)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 2014.
Permanent linkBS (Education and Social Policy)
Northwestern University, 2007.
Post bac (Pre-health Program)
Loyola University, 2009.
MD (Medicine)
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 2014.
Description of Clinical Expertise
CommunicationEnd-of-life Care
Mechanical Ventilation
Patient and Family Engagement in the ICU
Selected Publications
Secunda KE, Kinniry J, Howarth C, Risch S, Birkline J, Lightheart E, Mitchell OJ, Anderson B, Schweickert WD, Matthews A: A structured care coordination tool for solid oncology patients admitted to the Medical ICU. Society of Critical Care Medicine; Chicago, IL March 2026 Notes: oral presentation.Kruser JM, Wiegmann DA, Nadig NR, Secunda KE, Hanlon BM, Moy JX, Ahmad A, Campbell EG, Donnelly HK, Martinez FJ, Polley M, Orham C, Korth E, Statler L, Rowe TJ, Wu AL, Vigilianti EM, Eisinger EC, Nguyen OT, Halpern SD, Clapp JT: Optimizing Time-Limited Trials in Acute Respiratory Failure: A Multicenter Focused Ethnography Protocol BMJ Open December 2025.
Ramadurai D, Flack K, Wu L, Kass-Gergi S, Heath JK, Kreider ME, Dine CJ, Secunda KE: Interprofessional Mechanical Ventilation Education for Critical Care Trainees: A Pilot Curriculum. ATS Scholar 6(3): 292-298, Aug 2025.
Secunda, KE, Derrington, S: Using Time-Limited Trials to Navigate Uncertainty and Hope in the ICU. Critical Connections 23(3): 26-27, Jun 2024.
Kruser JM, Nadig NR, Viglianti EM, Clapp JT, Secunda KE, Halpern SD: Time-limited trials for patients with critical illness: a review of the literature. CHEST 165(4): 881-891, Dec 2023.
Reif M, Secunda KE, Clapp JT, Viglianti EM, Mylvaganam R, Peliska M, Holl JL, Kruser JM: The Duality of “Goals of Care” Language: A Qualitative Focus Group Study with Frontline Clinicians. J Pain Symptom Manage 66(6): E658-E665, Dec 2023.
Secunda, KE and Hart, JL: One Guideline May Not Fit All: Tailored Evidence May Improve Critical Care Delivery. Ann Am Thorac Soc 19(8): 1273-1274, August 2022.
Smith MM, Secunda KE, Cohen ER, Wayne DB, Vermylen JH, Wood GJ: Clinical Experience Is Not a Proxy for Competence: Comparing Fellow and Medical Student Performance in a Breaking Bad News Simulation-Based Mastery Learning Curriculum. The American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care 40(4): 423-430, Apr 2022.
Secunda KE, Kruser JM: Patient-Centered and Family-Centered Care in the Intensive Care Unit. Clin Chest Med 43(3): 539-550, September 2022.
Secunda Katharine, Wirpsa M Jeanne, Neely Kathy J, Szmuilowicz Eytan, Wood Gordon J, Panozzo Ellen, McGrath Joan, Levenson Anne, Peterson Jonna, Gordon Elisa J, Kruser Jacqueline M: Use and Meaning of "Goals of Care" in the Healthcare Literature: a Systematic Review and Qualitative Discourse Analysis. Journal of General Internal Medicine 35(5): 1559-1566, May 2020.
Secunda KE, Krolikowski KA, Savage MF, Kruser JM: Evaluation of automated specialty palliative care in the intensive care unit: A retrospective cohort study. PLOS One 16(8): e0255989, August 2021.
Secunda, K., Jovanovic, B., Heltshe, S., Sagel, S., Rowe, S., Jain, M: Females with Cystic Fibrosis Demonstrate a Differential Response Profile to Ivacaftor Compared with Males. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 201(8): 996-998, April 2020.
Secunda Katharine, Gordon Elisa J, Sohn Min W, Shinkunas Laura A, Kaldjian Lauris C, Voigt Michael D, Levitsky Josh: National survey of provider opinions on controversial characteristics of liver transplant candidates. Liver Transplantation 19(4): 395-403, Apr 2013.