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.
Karen Cassidy is the Founder and Executive Director of Hildegard House, Kentucky’s first and only comfort care home which provides a home and compassionate care for those at the end of life who have no home or loved ones to care for them so that they may die with dignity. Karen has been blessed with…
André Cernasov joined Agrace in August 2024 and is board certified in both family medicine and hospice & palliative medicine. Prior to this role, he practiced inpatient and outpatient palliative medicine at Advocate Aurora Health from 2021 to 2024, where he also served as the Associate Program Director for the Aurora HPM Fellowship in Milwaukee,…
Cristina Chipriano es la Directora de Equidad, Relaciones Comunitarias y la coordinadora del programa Esperanza en el Dougy Center.
Harvey Max Chochinov is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a Senior Scientist at CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute. His research in palliative care has resulted in more than 350 career publications, broaching diverse topics such as depression, quality-of-life, suicide, vulnerability, spirituality, and existential distress. He has also led a large…
MaryKatherine Clemons is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Houston, TX. She was previously employed at Baylor Scott & White Health in Temple, Texas, where she worked with the departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Supportive & Palliative Care. During her time at BSWH, she was the Program Director of…
Terri Collins serves as Vice President of Business Development and Strategy for Hospice Savannah and the Steward Center for Palliative Care in Savannah, Georgia. With a diverse background starting in radiologic technology, registered nursing, and business, culminating in a master’s degree focused on leadership and communication, Terri brings a unique blend of clinical insight and…
Chris Comeaux is the President/CEO of Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN) and Teleios Consulting Group (TCG) and author of the award-nominated book The Anatomy of Leadership. TCN supports 15 non-profit hospices and serious illness organizations nationally; three of those were impacted by Hurricane Helene, one very significantly. He spent a substantial portion of his career as President/CEO of Four…
Stephen Connor is the executive director of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) with 485 organizational members in over 100 countries. Connor has worked in palliative care continuously as a researcher, licensed clinical health psychologist, consultant, author, educator, advocate, and executive. For 11 years he was VP for research and professional development at NHPCO….
Charles Corr has been teaching and writing in the field of death, dying, and bereavement since 1975. He is a long-term member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC), the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement (IWG), and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), and is currently Senior Editor…
Jill Costello is the Program Coordinator for Hospice Savannah’s Edel Caregiver Institute, connecting family caregivers with community resources while providing education and emotional support. Holding a master’s in counseling psychology from Trevecca University in Nashville, TN, Jill is also certified in her work with persons living with dementia and their caregivers through Teepa Snow’s Positive…
Sheila Crane recently joined the Compassionate Care WNC (CCWNC) team as the new office manager. She is a lifelong fitness and yoga instructor and looks forward to sharing her organizational skills and passion for helping others with CCWNC’s many patients and families.
Elizabeth Crunk is a psychotherapist, educator, and researcher who maintains a private practice in Washington, DC. She specializes in treating adults who are bereaved or who have experienced a loss, with particular expertise in treating complications in grieving. Prior to establishing her practice, Crunk served as assistant professor of counseling at The George Washington University….
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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