Palliative Perspective Podcast

In this episode, Shena Gazaway joins us in a discussion of her nurse-led research, providing primary palliative care in patients’ homes— where this care is urgently needed but often overlooked. We explore how she leads serious illness conversations, manages complex chronic conditions, and builds trust with patients and families to ensure care aligns with their values.  

From qualitative studies to pilot-tested toolkits that empower...

What role can psychedelics play in helping terminally ill patients face death with peace, clarity, and meaning? 

In this episode, we welcome Hannah Whitmore, PhD, RN, CHPN®, a Registered Nurse and PhD researcher whose work—The Pragmatism of Palliative Care—explores the clinical potential of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) to support death acceptance in patients at the end of life. Dr. Whitmore brings a compassionate and evidence...

In this special episode, recorded on June 24 and released on June 25, we bring you a timely dispatch from Washington, D.C., where the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) leadership and staff engaged in direct advocacy on Capitol Hill.  

Join Gayle Gerdes, Vice President of Health Policy Source and consultant to HPNA, and HPNA Manager of Advocacy and Health Policy Sarah Potter as they reflect on their experiences meetin...

In this episode, we hear from Deb Russell, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, APRN-CNP, ACHPN® with more than 20 years in the field, currently leading care in an outpatient, harm-reduction-based palliative clinic. She provides palliative support to patients undergoing active cancer treatment who are also living with substance use disorders—a population with complex and often unmet needs. 

Deb shares firsthand insight into: 

• Navigating symptom m...

In this deeply personal and resonant episode, longtime hospice nurse and podcast host of The Heart of Hospice, Helen Bauer, BSN RN CHPN®, shares an intimate look at the soul of hospice nursing — the part that’s rarely documented but always deeply felt. With more than seven years behind the mic and a career alongside patients and families at the bedside, Helen reflects on the intimacy and intensity of hospice care, and the challenge...

In this episode, we explore the profound impact of Kelli Anspach MSN, CV-BC, NPD-BC, CHPN®'s thriving and sustainable training program, which has successfully trained more than 1,000 hospital nurses over the past 10 years through the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) program, founded by Betty Ferrell PhD, MSN, CHPN®. By providing nurses with the essential skills and knowledge to lead compassionate palliative care con...

Join us for an insightful episode featuring seasoned Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Meggan Mikal-DeMont DNP, APRN-FPA, PCNS-BC, CPNP-PC, CHPPN ®, FPCN® with more than10 years of experience in palliative care and pain management. In this whole-hearted interview, she reflects on her husband’s nine-month experience with Stage IV colorectal cancer and offers an insider’s perspective as both a palliative care clinician and caregiver- how ...

In this episode, we hear from nurses and nurse practitioners who attended the 2025 Annual Assembly of Hospice & Palliative Care. Whether it’s their first time attending or they attend this conference year after year, they share what brings them to the event, what inspires them, and the key takeaways they plan to bring back to their clinical practice. Tune in for an inside look at how the Annual Assembly is shaping the future of...

In this episode, we explore two innovative projects—Project UPHOLDS (Utilizing Palliative care for Heart failure Optimized using Lay navigators to Decrease Suffering) and Project ADAPT HF (ADdressing All Pain Through navigator-led palliative care optimized for Heart Failure)—which focus on utilizing community-based lay navigators to optimize palliative care for heart failure, especially among older Black adults. We delve into the i...

In this episode, three HPNA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) Committee members reflect on their lived experience- how positionality impacts the way they show up to their work as hospice and palliative care clinicians and researchers and how they've shifted from cultural competency toward cultural responsiveness.

Together, these experts discuss how our knowledge and actions must evolve in the face of new informat...

In this episode, host Lynn Reinke, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, FPCN®, ATSF discusses approaches to philanthropy with Amy Jacobs, MSN, RN and Catherine Pyke, M.A. Ed., board members of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation.

Related Resources:

• Learn more about the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF)
• Contribute to HPNF's 2024 Annual Appeal

About the Speakers:

Amy Jacobs, MSN, RN Amy Jacobs received her BSN from Lo...

This brief episode offers an update from Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, FAAHPM and Alexandra L. McPherson, PharmD, MPH. Listen for an update on the patient discussed in Episode 38.

Related Resources:

• Episode 38: Discharged to Airport: Navigating Complex Symptom Management
• Down on the Pharm: Contemporary Issues in Pharmacopalliation

About the Speakers: Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, FAAHPM Dr. McPherson has practi...

In this episode, Mary Lynn McPherson, PharmD, PhD, FAAHPM and Alexandra L. McPherson, PharmD, MPH discuss a complicated case involving a patient in her mid-50s from East Africa who is suffering from metastatic cancer. The conversation highlights the challenges of complex pain & symptom management while supporting a patient's goals of care.

Related Resources:

• Down on the Pharm: Contemporary Issues in Pharmacopalliation

In this episode, pediatric palliative care nurse practitioner Mallory Fossa, MS, CPNP-PC, CCRN, CHPPN® discusses her experiences in pediatric palliative care with Kathy Perko, MS, PPCNP-BC, CHPPN®, CPON, CPLC, FPCN, FAPHON, a pediatric nurse for 40 years and PNP for 30 years. Together, they discuss the obstacles of managing pain in children, including communication between the patient, caregivers, and palliative care team. Topics d...

In this episode, HPNA and HPNF board members Rikki Hooper and Yvonne Ruathaiwat expand on their perspectives and experiences regarding the palliative continuum of care, and how they break down the silos between palliative care and hospice. 

About the Speakers: Moderator: Lynn Reinke, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, FPCN, ATSF

Featuring:  Richelle (Rikki) Hooper, MBA, MSN, FNP-BC, ACHPN, NE-BC, FPCN Yvonne Ruathaiwat, RN, MSN, GCNS-BC, NE-BC

Rik...

In this episode, Holli and Brett discuss the integration of the Family Frailty Score as an assessment tool for patients undergoing advanced heart failure therapies. Various key considerations surrounding the tool are discussed, including multidisciplinary team involvement, socioeconomic challenges, patient and family support, and more.

Featuring:

• Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP
• Holli Martinez FNP-BC, ACHPN®, FPCN

In this episode, we welcome HPNA and HPNF board members Craig Durie, DNP, CRNP, ACHPN®, RNFA and Blake J. Tobias Jr., MHCI, MS, HA-ODL. Moderated by Board President Lynn Reinke, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN, FPCN, ATSF, the group discusses their respective roles within health care, highlighting their commitment to improving patient outcomes through innovative practices and leadership in their respective professions.

Featuring:

• Craig Durie...

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Christopher Kerr, who discusses his upcoming opening session for the Team Conference for Hospice & Palliative Care. Moderated by HPNA member and Team Conference planning committee chair Joan Carpenter, this episode touches on Dr. Kerr’s experiences and published research that describes and validates patients’ dreams and visions at the end of life. 

Learn more about the Team Conference for Hospice...

This episode features Chris Acevedo, CHC, the presenter of HPNA's upcoming three-part APRN billing and coding webinar series. Chris discusses the series, which is designed for APRNs practicing in Palliative Care and within the hospice benefit. Moderated by HPNA Board member, Mansara Hassan, the discussion touches on recent changes to billing, EMR documentation, billing restrictions, and more.  

Register for the three-part billing w...