Betty Ferrell, PhD, FAAN, FPCN 
Professor and Director of Nursing Research
City of Hope Medical Center
Celebrating 20 Years of Providing Palliative Care Education

Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, MD 
Co-Pastor of Bethel AME Church, Boston, MA, and the Swartz Resident Practitioner in Ministry Studies at Harvard Divinity School
God Is Able: Hope and Miracles in Our African American Patients: Challenges, Historical Perspective and the Way Forward

Stefan Kertesz, MD 
Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Opioids and Long-Term Pain: Clinical Challenges and Policy Missteps

Erin Kent, PhD 
Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Caregiving in Palliative Care: Bridging Research, Policy and Practice

Joe Rotella, MD 
Chief Medical Officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)
A Briefing on the State of Palliative Care in the US

Charles "Chuck" Stokes, MSHA 
President and CEO of Memorial Hermann Health System
Organizational Leadership in Developing "End of Life" Care Strategies

Rodney Tucker, MD 
Director, Center for Palliative and Supportive Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
A Call to Action

Dr. Rebecca Allen 
University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa
Dr. Sylvia Huang 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Caring for the Caregivers: Mindfulness and Other Evidence-based Approaches

Dr. Brian Cassel 
Virginia Commonwealth University
Financing and Sustaining Palliative Care Programs

Dr. Erin Currie & Dr. Brian Donahue 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Palliative Care for a Growing Population of Chronically Critically Ill and Medically Complex Pediatric Patients

Dr. Kimberly Curseen 
Emory Palliative Care Center
Benefits and Challenges of Ambulatory Palliative Care: Paddling in Quicksand

Dr. Deborah Ejem 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Exploring the Role of Religion and Spirituality in Provider-Patient Communication

Dr. Ronit Elk 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Developing Programs with a Cultural Perspective

Dr. Betty Ferrell 
City of Hope Medical Center
Integration of Palliative Care needs of Patients on Phase 1 Clinical Trials

Dr. Susan McCammon & Jennifer Hicks 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Innovations in Community-Based Palliative Care

Dr. Carolyn Phillips 
The Phyllis F. Cantor Center for Research in Nursing and Palliative Care
Tuning in to Emotions: The Use of Storytelling Through Music to Improve Well-being in Oncology Nurses

Dr. Joe Rotella, AAHPM 
Quality Measurement in Palliative Care

Dr. Keith Swetz 
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Palliative and Supportive Care Approaches to Advanced Heart Disease

Tammie Quest, MD 
Emory University, Atlanta, GA
Forging the Future of Palliative Care in the Southeast

Rubin Pillay, PhD, MBA, MSc 
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
The State of Healthcare Innovation: Palliative Care Applications

Mary Ersek, PhD, RN 
University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA
Educating the Next Generation of Palliative Care Clinicians

Rubin Pillay, PhD, MBA, MSc & Melissa Mancini, MSHA 
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 
Innovation Series: Generating Creative Ideas, Design Thinking, and Business Modeling for Palliative Care

Lyn Ceronsky, DNP, GNP, CHPCA 
University of Minnesota Health, Fairview Health Services, Minneapolis, MN 
Creating Rural Palliative Care Networks

Ronit Elk, PhD 
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Paying Attention to Culture: Challenges of Spreading Palliative Care in the Rural Deep South 

Arif Kamal, MD
Duke University, Durham, NC 
Keeping Quality in the Equation 

Brian Cassel, PhD 
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Financing Community-based Palliative Care 

Ada Markaki, PhD, APRN-BC, Cynthia Selleck, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN & Amy Beasley, MSN, PhD Student 
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Bringing Primary Palliative Care to Rural Alabama: Innovations in the Carolinas

Eric Wallace, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 
Telemedicine Opportunities in Palliative Care 

Jacob Graham, MD, Kristy Johnson-Pich, DO & Gabby Cornett, MBA 
Forrest General Hospital, Hattiesburg, MS; Southeast Alabama Medical Center, Dothan, AL; Compassus Hospice and Palliative Care, Athens, GA
Panel Discussions: Challenges of Spreading Palliative Care in the Southeast 

Hattie Bryant 
My Golden Rule, New Orleans, LA 
I'll Have it My Way: A Consumer Perspective

Janet Bull, MD, MBA
Four Seasons, Flat Rock, NC
Innovations in the Carolinas

Jeri Miller, PhD
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 
Prioritizing Palliative Care from a National Perspective 

Lynn Spragens, MBA
Spragens & Associates, Durham, NC
Pragmatic Principles to Achieve Bold Vision

Marie Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FAAN & Nicholas Dionne-Odom, PhD, RN, ACHPN
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 
Improving Palliative Care Access Through Telehealth: The ENABLE Clinical Trials 

Ashley Nichols, MD & Sam Perna, DO
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 
Taking Care of Pediatric Patients in Adult Hospices

Phil Rodgers, MD
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 
Getting It Paid For: Alternative Payment Models

Regina Fink, RN, PhD, APCN, CHPN
University of Colorado, Denver, Aurora, CO 
Bridging the Culture Gap: Improving Palliative Care through Patient Navigation 

Ed Partridge, MD & Gabrielle Rocque, MD
University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 
Patient Care Connect: Experiences with Lay Navigation 

Jeffrey Klick, MD 
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA
Caring for Children with Serious Illness in the Community