Experts & Educators
We are a hub for the country’s most distinguished hospice and grief experts, researchers, and professionals. HFA experts help to inform and educate on a wide range of timely and relevant topics essential to best practice.
Our HFA educators are well known and widely recognized as experts in their fields.
They’re researchers with decades of knowledge backed by evidenced-based studies.
They’re professionals who have honed their skills with years of patient and family care.
HFA has been privileged to include many notable experts in its professional education offerings over the past 30 years, including the late Earl. A Grollman; Nancy Hogan, RN, PhD; Karla Holloway, PhD; the late William M. Lamers, MD; the late Richard E. Payne, MD.
Below is a complete listing of our presenters and authors from 2020 onward. We are grateful for their willingness to share their expertise to advance hospice and bereavement care through HFA.
The Humane Prison Hospice Project provides compassionate palliative, geriatric, memory, hospice, and end-of-life care support to incarcerated people, using an innovative model that trains incarcerated peer caregivers to work alongside the interdisciplinary care team. Lisa Deal and Laura Musselman will join Dr. Michele DiTomas to discuss the care needs of an aging prison population, the program, and how hospices can replicate the model in their own communities.
Registration Options
Continuing education included with registration.
Scott Morgan graduated from Florida State University and spent fifteen years in the tech industry. Wanting to transition into a more fulfilling field, he then earned an MPA from New York University in Nonprofit Management, Policy, and Health. His work in graduate school was focused on HIV in low-income settings, and his previous work as…
Kate Morrissey Stahl is an associate clinical professor of social work at the University of Georgia, a licensed clinical social worker in the states of Georgia and South Carolina, and an American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) certified sex therapist and supervisor. Her research focuses on the intersection of aging and sexual…
Karen Moss is a registered nurse and tenured associate professor of nursing in the College of Nursing at The Ohio State University. She is a distinguished fellow in the National Academies of Practice – Nursing Academy and a Gerontological Society of America Fellow. Dr. Moss is an expert in the conduct of research with Black…
Laura Musselman is Executive Director of the Humane Hospice Prison Project. She is an end-of-life doula, writer, and former college instructor. With a background in philosophy, education, and trauma support, she brings both critical inquiry and practical grounding to her leadership. As the Executive Director of the Humane Prison Hospice Project, Laura focuses on strengthening…
Balu Natarajan is a graduate of Northwestern University Medical School and has been the Chief Medical Officer of Accent Care formerly Seasons Hospice since 2005. He served in various capacities for Seasons from 2000 until 2005, including holding the position of Medical Director of the Illinois program. Board-certified in internal medicine, hospice and palliative care, and sports medicine, Dr….
Robert Neimeyer is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, maintains an active consulting practice, and directs the Portland Institute for Loss and Transition, which provides global online training in grief therapy. Neimeyer has published 35 books, including Living Beyond Loss: Questions and Answers about Grief and Bereavement and New Techniques of…
Dr. O’Connor is a Professor at the University of Arizona Department of Psychology, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab. She earned a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona in 2004 and following a faculty appointment at UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, she returned to the University of…
Chaplain Kevin Orie serves as a chaplain at Hospice of the Chesapeake, offering spiritual and emotional care to patients facing life-limiting illnesses and their loved ones. Holding a Doctor of Ministry degree, specializing in chaplaincy studies from Lancaster Bible College, and a pastorate for nine years, he brings several years of experience in providing pastoral…
Sheila Otten is in private practice in Louisville, KY, living out her passion providing education and support to children and families. She is also an instructor at the University of Louisville. Otten worked in community mental health supporting children and families in crisis and went on to serve as the primary social worker with the…
Lisa Pahl is co-creator of The Death Deck and The E•O•L Deck, tools that inspire meaningful conversations on what matters most in our lives and in our deaths. As a licensed clinical social worker with over 17 years of experience within hospice and emergency medicine, Pahl helps people cope with illness, dying, and grief. With…
Lara Palay is a licensed social worker and clinical supervisor. She teaches clinical social work at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. Ms. Palay served as the first Project Manager for the Mental Illness/Developmental Disabilities Coordinating Center of Excellence for the Ohio Department of Mental Health and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities….
Edward Peñate is a palliative care chaplain at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. In addition to providing direct clinical care in Palliative Care, Dr. Peñate holds a faculty leadership role in Palliative Care at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Peñate is bilingual in Spanish and English and has a multicultural background, offering him a unique opportunity to work…
Whether you’re a patient, family member, or a friend trying to determine whether hospice is the right choice, HFA is here. We provide guidance before, during, and after the important decisions are made.
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