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.
Working with people confronting grief, loss, trauma, and tragedy is an intensely personal endeavor—one that carries well-documented risks for practitioners, including burnout, moral distress, and compassion fatigue. Yet current research and clinical wisdom show that the demands of this work can be managed effectively and may even promote personal and professional growth. Drawing on recent developments in positive psychology, neuroscience, and contemporary psychotherapy, this session presents evidence-based strategies to strengthen emotional resilience, sustain meaningful self-care, and enhance clinical effectiveness.
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Please Note: Individual memberships and registrations are not eligible for organization or community use.
Continuing education included with registration
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…
Cynthia Carter-Perrilliat is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the AC Care Alliance Collaborative (ACCA). Founded in the African-American faith community, ACCA’s Advanced Illness Care Program is a community based, person-centered, care navigation intervention serving individuals with chronic, serious, and advanced illness and their caregivers, in partnership with health, faith, academic and community-based organizations, providing services…
Ryan Pferdehirt is the Vice President of Ethics Services at the Center for Practical Bioethics in Kansas City and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bioethics at Kansas City University. He supports healthcare organizations in the development of ethics committees and departments and works to grow competencies of member ethics committees, individual consultants, and the general…
Holly Prigerson is the Endowed Professor of Diagnostics in Radiology, the Professor of Sociology in Radiology and in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College and the Director of the Cornell Center for Research on End-of-Life Care. Her current research interests include targeting psychosocial factors influencing end-of-life care and bereavement adjustment, examining racial/ethnic disparities in the…
Mary Beth Quaranta Morrissey is a gerontological health and social work researcher and New York attorney concentrating in health and public health law with deep experience in palliative care and hospice, including in the development of palliative care workforce education and training. Morrissey currently holds the appointments of Associate Professor and Director of the PhD…
Therese Rando is a clinical psychologist, traumatologist, and thanatologist in Warwick, Rhode Island. She is the Clinical Director of The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss, which provides mental health services through psychotherapy, training, supervision, and consultation, and specializes in loss and grief; traumatic stress; and the psychosocial care of persons with chronic,…
JoAnne Reifsnyder is Executive Vice President, Clinical Operations and Chief Nursing Officer for Genesis HealthCare. In this role, she is responsible for leader development, nursing strategy and clinical quality, safety and efficiency. She serves on the board of the Hospice Foundation of America and is the past President of the board of directors for the…
Claudia Reyes is an Associate Clinical Social Worker with experience working in Community Mental Health organizations. Claudia received her Bachelor of Arts in History and Sociology from Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles and her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University School of Social Work. At Our House Grief Support Center, Claudia…
Julissa Reynoso serves as the Director of Programming for the Children’s Bereavement Center (CBC). She is also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor having received her Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. In work with The Children’s Bereavement Center, she oversees the grief support group program and program development. Her trainings and collaboration…
Dr. Richmond is Vice President of Medical Affairs and Hospice Medical Director with Hospice of the Chesapeake. She is a compassionate hospice and palliative care physician with over a decade of experience dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. With a strong foundation in internal medicine, she transitioned to palliative…
Hannah Righter graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in Music Therapy and is a Board-Certified Music Therapist and the Director of Arts at The Connecticut Hospice. She has presented on the benefits of expressive therapies at area healthcare organizations and regional conferences. While experienced with a variety of populations, including special education,…
Jenny Rivera-Cruz is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly a decade of experience providing psychotherapy to individuals, families, couples, and teens. She earned her Master of Social Work (MSW) from the University of Southern California with an emphasis in Children and Families. Her professional journey reflects a deep passion for empowering individuals to uncover…
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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