Portfolio

Ramy Sedhom, MD, FASCO, Director, Program in Geriatric Oncology & Supportive Care Innovation, Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation; Section Chief, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Hematology & Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Sedhom’s clinical and research interests are centered on one principle – improving patient-centered care for vulnerable populations with cancer and their caregivers. He has a robust portfolio of work in palliative care integration, geriatric assessment, psycho-oncology, caregiver support, and remote patient monitoring, all focused in the community setting. His work has been

Gina Piscitello, MD, MS, FAAHPM, Assistant Professor in the Section of Palliative Care and Medical Ethics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Dr. Piscitello is a palliative medicine physician and researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. She is also the medical director of the inpatient palliative medicine consult service at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital. Her research interests focus on the intersection of clinical medical ethics and palliative medicine, including identifying and addressing disparities in care for patients with serious illnesses. Her work has been published in journals including JAMA, JAMA Health Forum, CHEST, and the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.

Amar D Bansal, MD, FASN, Associate Professor of Medicine, UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Dr. Bansal is a nephrologist and palliative care physician at UPMC. He is the associate program director for the nephrology fellowship. In the outpatient setting, his interests are in general nephrology and kidney palliative care. He is passionate about teaching doctors how to communicate with patients about serious illness clearly and compassionately. He is a senior faculty member at VitalTalk, an evidence-based training organization that teaches clinicians practical communication skills for discussing prognosis and navigating goals of care with seriously ill patients

Dr. Richard Payne Senior Leadership Award Noelle Marie Javier, MD, AGSF, FAAHPM, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Dr. Javier is a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Medical Education and in the Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. As a dedicated internist, geriatrician, and palliative care physician who carries and celebrates multiple intersectional identities, including being a woman, Filipina, an immigrant, and born transgender, she has devoted her time and efforts in contributing to and amplifying the provision of high-quality, inclusive, affirming, and compassionate

Paul Tatum, MD, is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Palliative Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. A dedicated clinician, educator, and leader in the field, Dr. Tatum specializes in providing compassionate, high-quality care for patients with serious and life-limiting illnesses. His clinical expertise focuses on effective symptom management, advance care planning, and supporting patients and their families through the challenges of advanced disease, with the goal of optimizing quality of life at every stage. Recognized nationally for his outstanding contributions to end-of-life care, Dr. Tatum received the prestigious 2016 Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician

Jackie Palmore is the clinical coordinator for the UAB Center for Palliative and Supportive Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center. A registered nurse for 38 years, she has devoted the majority of her career to palliative, supportive, and hospice/home care. She played a pivotal role in the development of UAB’s 12-bed inpatient Palliative and Comfort Care Unit in 2004 and has since helped establish the inpatient consult service and the broader palliative care interdisciplinary team. In addition, as a faculty member of the Palliative Care Leadership Center at the UAB Center to Advance Palliative Care,

Melinda “Mel” Mayorga, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Ambulatory Oncology. Services, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Board-certified as an adult gerontology clinical nurse specialist and an oncology nurse, Mel chairs the Ambulatory Fall Prevention Council for Norris and Keck ambulatory clinics and co-chairs the Keck Nursing Professionalism program. In 2022, she was named the USC Nurse Humanitarian of the Year. Mel is a member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Nurse Honor Guard, where she honors deceased nurses. In 2024, she was a recipient of the Simms/Mann Family Foundation’s Off the Chart award to recognize and reward greatness in

Erin Collins, Cofounder and Director of Programs, The Peaceful Presence Project in Bend, Oregon. Collins is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse with 17 years of experience in hospice and adult and pediatric oncology. Trained as an end-of-life doula, she is a member of the board of directors for the Oregon Hospice and Palliative Care Association, an appointed member to the Oregon Health Authority’s Palliative Care and Quality of Life Advisory Council, and the former vice-chair of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s End-of-Life Doula Advisory Council. She cofounded The Peaceful Presence Project after seeing that many patients