Meet the VitalTalk Community.
Our growing global community of healthcare professionals is leading the cultural shift in patient-clinician communication. Our community includes exceptional faculty, premier institutions, and generous funders.
Together, we are at the forefront of improving serious illness communication.
Senior Faculty
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Michael Barnett MD
University of Alabama, AL
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Stephen Berns MD
University of Vermont, VT
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Elise Carey MD
Mayo Clinic, MN
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Julie Childers MD
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA
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Rene Claxton MD
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA
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Lyle Fettig MD
Indiana University School of Medicine, IN
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Jillian Gustin MD
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, OH
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Caroline Hurd MD
University of Washington, Harborview Medical Center, WA
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Juan Iregui MD
CHI Franciscan Health System, WA
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Amy Kelley MD
Mount Sinai Hospital, NY
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Devin Odom MD
Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital, MO
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Lynn O'Neill MD
Emory University, GA
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Shaida Talebreza MD
University of Utah, UT
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Gordon Wood MD
Northwestern University and Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care Center, IL
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Holly Yang MD
Scripps Health, CA
US-Based Faculty
| State | City | Institution | VitalTalk Faculty |
| Alabama | Birmingham | University of Alabama | Michael Barnett |
| Kerri Bevis | |||
| Catherine Brown | |||
| Sandy Frazier | |||
| Heather Herrington | |||
| Mohamed Kazamel | |||
| Vineeta Kumar | |||
| Todd McCarty | |||
| Ashley Nichols | |||
| Lanier O’Hare | |||
| Katie Slaughter | |||
| Marilyn Smith | |||
| Richard Taylor | |||
| Alaska | Anchorage | Providence Family Medicine Center | Tram Chu |
| Janel Kam-Magruder | |||
| California | Castro Valley | Kaiser Permanente – San Leandro | Liz Macera |
| Huntington Beach | Landmark Health | Carol Curran | |
| Long Beach | Long Beach Memorial Medical Center | Susie Chun | |
| Los Angeles | Children’s Hospital Los Angeles | Debra Lotstein | |
| University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) | Christopher Pietras | ||
| University of Southern California | Carin van Zyl | ||
| Oakland | Alameda Health System | Linda Bulman | |
| Jessica Zitter | |||
| Kaiser Permanente – Northern California | Bonnie Chen | ||
| Kevin Nguyen | |||
| Sarah Piper | |||
| Monique Schaulis | |||
| Scott Schmidt | |||
| Palo Alto | Stanford University | Rebecca Aslakson | |
| Joshua Fronk | |||
| Stephanie Harman | |||
| Shireen Heidari | |||
| Felicia Hui | |||
| Judy Passaglia | |||
| Karla Schroeder | |||
| Heather Shaw | |||
| Torrey Simons | |||
| Winnie Teuteberg | |||
| Michael Westley | |||
| Sacramento | Coalition for Compassionate Care of California | Lael Duncan | |
| San Diego | Scripps Health | Holly Yang | |
| San Francisco | Hospice by the Bay | James Mittelberger | |
| University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) | Wendy Anderson | ||
| Brook Calton | |||
| DorAnne Donesky | |||
| Vanessa Grubbs | |||
| Eric Isaacs | |||
| Lynnea Mills | |||
| Thomas Reid | |||
| Eric Widera | |||
| Sunnyvale | Palo Alto Medical Foundation | Michael Cohn | |
| Steve Lai | |||
| Ventura | Ventura County Medical Center | Daniel Cox | |
| Walnut Creek | VITAS Healthcare – Walnut Creek | Christine Koniaris | |
| Colorado | Centennial | Centura Health | Rebecca Vogel |
| Denver | University of Colorado – Denver | Debra Davis | |
| David Nowels | |||
| Jeanie Youngwerth | |||
| Grand Junction | St. Mary’s Medical Center | Carol Fowler | |
| Lakewood | St. Anthony’s Hospital | Chester Dreiman | |
| Connecticut | Hartford | Hartford Hospital | Ross Albert |
| New Haven | Yale University | Laura Morrison | |
| Delaware | Newark | Christiana Care Health System | Julie Cooper |
| Roshni Guerry | |||
| Linsey O’Donnell | |||
| Amanda Taylor | |||
| District of Columbia | Washington | Children’s National Medical Center | Tessie October |
| George Washington University | Rita Manfredi | ||
| Georgetown University | Kacie Saulters | ||
| US Department of Veterans Affairs | Grady Paden | ||
| Florida | Gainesville | University of Florida | Marie-Carmelle Elie |
| Tampa | Moffitt Cancer Center | Barbara Lubrano | |
| Diane Portman | |||
| Georgia | Atlanta | Emory University | Joanne Kuntz |
| Lynn O’Neill | |||
| Ali-John Zarrabi | |||
| Idaho | Boise | St. Luke’s Health System | Peter Kozisek |
| Illinois | Chicago | Northwestern University | Jessica Montalvo |
| Melanie Smith | |||
| Eytan Szmuilowicz | |||
| Julia Vermylen | |||
| Gordon Wood | |||
| Rush University Medical Center | Simon Schrick-Senasac | ||
| University of Chicago | Shellie Williams | ||
| Mount Prospect | Rainbow Hospice | Charles Strulovitch | |
| Indiana | Indianapolis | Heart Center | Lori Alesia |
| Indiana University | Gabriel Bosslet | ||
| Lyle Fettig | |||
| Joan Haase | |||
| Areeba Jawed | |||
| Karen Moody | |||
| Erin Newton | |||
| Jason Niehaus | |||
| Rafael Rosario | |||
| Zeynep Salih | |||
| Lucia Wocial | |||
| St. Vincent Hospital | Colleen Brown | ||
| Natasha Tomlinson | |||
| Kentucky | Lexington | University of Kentucky | Jessica McFarlin |
| Louisville | MD2U – Home-Based Primary Care | Bill Grenier | |
| University of Louisville | Lori Earnshaw | ||
| Maine | Portland | Maine Medical Center | Mary Becker |
| Rockport | Pen Bay Health Care | Lauren Michalakes | |
| Maryland | Baltimore | Johns Hopkins University | Renee Boss |
| Massachusetts | Boston | Ariadne Labs | Joanna Paladino |
| Justin Sanders | |||
| Boston Children’s Hospital | Angela Feraco | ||
| Katie Greenzang | |||
| Boston University | Sandhya Rao | ||
| Brigham and Women’s Hospital | Zara Cooper | ||
| Kei Ouchi | |||
| Dana-Farber Cancer Institute | Janet Abrahm | ||
| Andrew Lawton | |||
| Kathleen Lee | |||
| Elizabeth Rickerson | |||
| Kristen Schaefer | |||
| Jennifer Snaman | |||
| Jane deLima Thomas | |||
| Harvard Medical School | Joshua Lakin | ||
| Julia Ragland | |||
| Harvard University | Rachelle Bernacki | ||
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Corinne Alexander | ||
| Juliet Jacobsen | |||
| Brookline | Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | Mary Buss | |
| Robert Cohen | |||
| Laura Rock | |||
| Newton | Newton-Wellesley Hospital | Kosha Thakore | |
| Springfield | Baystate Medical Center | Laura Iglesias-Lino | |
| Erin Salvador | |||
| Rebecca Starr | |||
| Michigan | Ann Arbor | University of Michigan | Michael Mendez |
| Detroit | Henry Ford Health System | Ellen Air | |
| Rana Awdish | |||
| Carol Bridges | |||
| Justin Bright | |||
| Dana Buick | |||
| Kristen Chasteen | |||
| Kelley Dillon | |||
| Caroline Dower | |||
| Maria Harrington | |||
| Sara Hegab | |||
| Mara Hoffert | |||
| Emily Hurst | |||
| Gina Hurst | |||
| Maria Kokas | |||
| Meghan Liroff | |||
| Grace Pagaduan | |||
| Tammy Raffle (Hasan) | |||
| Wendy Robertson | |||
| Lisa Stagner | |||
| Cristina Tita | |||
| Rosemary Weatherston | |||
| Erin Zimny | |||
| Cynthia Zito | |||
| Irena Zmitrovic | |||
| Rochester | Oakland University | Toni Glover | |
| Minnesota | Bloomington | HealthPartners | Mary Fredrickson |
| Brett Hendel-Paterson | |||
| Ankit Mehta | |||
| Minneapolis | Fairview Health Services | Elizabeth Jeffrey | |
| Drew Rosielle | |||
| Hennepin County Medical Center | Annette Nijjar | ||
| University of Minnesota | Elizabeth Uchitelle | ||
| Rochester | Mayo Clinic | Elise Carey | |
| April Christensen | |||
| Christopher Collura | |||
| James Deming | |||
| Molly Feely | |||
| Gregory Hanson | |||
| Keith Mansel | |||
| Emily Sinn | |||
| Megan Thorvilson | |||
| Kelly Wu | |||
| Mississippi | Jackson | University of Mississippi | Sharon Douglas |
| Missouri | St. Louis | Washington University in St. Louis | Devin Odom |
| Anna Roshal | |||
| Montana | Missoula | Providence Palliative Care Services | Christopher Jons |
| New Hampshire | Concord | Capital Region Palliative Care and Hospice | Stephen Rust |
| Dartmouth | Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center | Amelia Cullinan | |
| Max Vergo | |||
| Matthew Wilson | |||
| New Jersey | Hackensack | Hackensack University Medical Center | Bridget Tracy |
| Marlton | Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice | Stephen Goldfine | |
| New Brunswick | Rutgers University | Rebecca Goett | |
| Leslie Tyrie | |||
| New York | Albany | Community Hospice | Patricia Ford |
| Buffalo | University at Buffalo | Anthony Jones | |
| New York | Columbia University Medical Center | Shunichi Nakagawa | |
| Maimonides Medical Center | Jenny Breznay | ||
| Beth Popp | |||
| Lawrence Wolf | |||
| Montefiore Medical Center | Elizabeth Clark | ||
| Katherine Fox | |||
| Aluko Hope | |||
| Allison Stark | |||
| Mount Sinai Health System | Sonica Bhatia | ||
| Mollie Biewald | |||
| Kavita Dharmarajan | |||
| Lindsay Dow | |||
| Laura Gelfman | |||
| Jay Horton | |||
| Amy Kelley | |||
| Kara Kerns | |||
| Linley Leone | |||
| Elizabeth Lindenberger | |||
| Nicole Loving | |||
| John Oropello | |||
| Vanessa Rodriguez | |||
| Beth Scarborough | |||
| Cardinale Smith | |||
| Katherine Wang | |||
| New York University (NYU) | Maureen Gang | ||
| NYU Langone Medical Center | Susan Cohen | ||
| Laura Evans | |||
| Corita Grudzen | |||
| Joseph Lowy | |||
| Michael Perskin | |||
| Charlene Recto | |||
| Jennifer Scherer | |||
| Robert Smeltz | |||
| Christine Zawistowski | |||
| SUNY Downstate | Audrey Tan | ||
| Rochester | University of Rochester | Tom Carroll | |
| Laura Hogan | |||
| Rob Horowitz | |||
| Christine Osborne | |||
| Mary Prinzing | |||
| North Carolina | Durham | Duke University | Brittany Davidson |
| Jonathan Fischer | |||
| Karen Jooste | |||
| Lawrence Mumm | |||
| Ohio | Akron | Akron Children’s Hospital | Cassandra Hirsh |
| Cincinnati | Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center | DonnaMaria Cortezzo | |
| Hilary Flint | |||
| Mark Meyer | |||
| Cleveland | University Hospitals | May Alabousi | |
| Amelia Baffa | |||
| Hollis Berthold | |||
| Debbie Dubeansky | |||
| Tricia Eaton | |||
| Kate Eilenfeld | |||
| Marwah Farooqui | |||
| Stephanie Fleming | |||
| Dan Gauntner | |||
| Theresa Giersz | |||
| Cheryl Hall | |||
| Ed Kilbane | |||
| Kim Kinder | |||
| Anne Kolenic | |||
| Kathryn Miller | |||
| Amy Pound | |||
| Ajita Prabhu | |||
| Lori Ruder | |||
| Patricia Rudler | |||
| Elie Saade | |||
| Manish Srivastava | |||
| Virgina Vatev | |||
| Liz Weinstein | |||
| Colletta Yurmanovich | |||
| Columbus | James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute | Candace Jennings | |
| Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center | Todd Barrett | ||
| Kim Frier | |||
| Lauren Goodman | |||
| Jillian Gustin | |||
| Jenn McCallister | |||
| Charles Miller | |||
| Kavitha Norton | |||
| Robin Vachon-Kraut | |||
| Sharla Wells-Di Gregorio | |||
| Westlake | St. John Medical Center | Marlene Oliver | |
| Oregon | Portland | CareOregon | Will Kennedy |
| Kristina Youngs | |||
| Compass Oncology | Lisa Hansen | ||
| Kaiser Permanente – Oregon/Washington | Richard Mularski | ||
| Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) | Eriko Onishi | ||
| Katie Stowers | |||
| Craig Tanner | |||
| Salem | Salem Hospital | Shane Peterson | |
| Pennsylvania | Danville | Geisinger Medical Center | Ion Bucaloiu |
| Megan Rapp | |||
| Lancaster | Lancaster General Health | J. Andrew Probolus | |
| Philadelphia | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia | Tara Bamat | |
| Donald Boyer | |||
| Aaron DeWitt | |||
| Heather French | |||
| Eron Friedlaender | |||
| Jennifer Hwang | |||
| Jennifer James | |||
| Leslie Kersun | |||
| Amanda Lerman | |||
| Jane Minturn | |||
| Wynne Morrison | |||
| Shefali Parikh | |||
| Kaitlyn Snyder | |||
| Jennifer Walter | |||
| Lisa Zaoutis | |||
| Corporal Michal J. Crescenz (CMC) VA Medical Center | Deborah Way | ||
| University of Pennsylvania | Joshua Jones | ||
| Pittsburgh | Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh | Scott Maurer | |
| Magee-Womens Hospital | Alycia Dalbey | ||
| University of Pittsburgh – Medical Center | Amar Bansal | ||
| Kathryn Berlacher | |||
| Stephanie Boehm | |||
| Jared Chiarchiaro | |||
| Julie Childers | |||
| Sylvia Choi | |||
| René Claxton | |||
| Victor Colaiaco | |||
| Tara Cook | |||
| Amy Cornell | |||
| Lillian Emlet | |||
| Raquel Forsythe | |||
| Roberta Gillespie | |||
| Daniel Hall | |||
| Melinda Hamilton | |||
| Joseph Hines | |||
| Richard Hoffmaster | |||
| Kelsie Kirchartz | |||
| Veronica Kozar | |||
| Maggie Lattanzio | |||
| Janet Leahy | |||
| Joshua Levenson | |||
| Kathleen Lindell | |||
| Nicolette Mininni | |||
| Barbara Nightingale | |||
| Lisa Podgurski | |||
| Eva Reitschuler Cross | |||
| Rebecca Rudy | |||
| Rebecca Rust | |||
| Jane Schell | |||
| Courtlyn Schmalzried | |||
| Jamie Shogan | |||
| Jesse Soodalter | |||
| Amy Swindell | |||
| Sandy Wagner | |||
| Joan Williams | |||
| Maggie Yaw | |||
| South Carolina | Charleston | Trident Medical Center | Gregory Compton |
| Tennessee | Memphis | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | Holly Spraker-Perlman |
| Nashville | Vanderbilt University | Maie El-Sourady | |
| Texas | Dallas | Baylor Scott and White Health | Ursula Braun |
| Laurel Kilpatrick | |||
| Autumn Stratton | |||
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | Reeni Abraham | ||
| Alexis Barina | |||
| Tom Dalton | |||
| Stephanie Houck | |||
| Kelley Newcomer | |||
| Oanh Nguyen | |||
| Elizabeth Paulk | |||
| Padmaja Reddy | |||
| Caitlin Siropaides | |||
| Kate Tindall | |||
| Winnie Wang | |||
| VA North Texas Health Care System | Elizabeth Polanco | ||
| Houston | Texas Children’s Hospital | Gina Santucci | |
| San Antonio | South Texas Veterans Health Care System | Deborah Villarreal | |
| University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio | Jason Morrow | ||
| Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Carolyn Barlow |
| Utah | Salt Lake City | University of Utah | Anna Beck |
| Holli Martinez | |||
| Mary Joan Sheetz | |||
| Shaida Talebreza Brandon | |||
| Vermont | Burlington | University of Vermont | Laurel Audy |
| Lauren Bailey | |||
| Diana Barnard | |||
| Stephen Berns | |||
| Zail Berry | |||
| Kacey Boyle | |||
| Alicia Calacci | |||
| Kat Cheung | |||
| Jaina Clough | |||
| Maj Eisinger | |||
| Janet Ely | |||
| Lindsay Gagnon | |||
| Jonna Goulding | |||
| Bob Gramling | |||
| Jen Hauptman | |||
| Naomi Hodde | |||
| Ann Laramee | |||
| Priscilla Minkin | |||
| Tara Pacy | |||
| David Rand | |||
| Abbey Rouleau | |||
| Myrna Sanchez | |||
| Sharon Shannon | |||
| Elise Tarbi | |||
| Iris Toedt-Pingel | |||
| Patricia Whitney | |||
| Viginia | Roanoke | Carilion Clinic | Thomas Morel |
| Christopher Pile | |||
| Christi Stewart | |||
| Washington | Kirkland | EvergreenHealth | David Kregenow |
| Olympia | Providence St. Peter Hospital | Sarah Merrifield | |
| Renton | Valley Medical Center | Heather Coats | |
| Elizabeth Perry | |||
| Seattle | Seattle Cancer Care Alliance | Ailey Armstrong | |
| Molly Bumpus | |||
| Jodie David | |||
| Elizabeth Loggers | |||
| Seattle Children’s Hospital | Anne Anderson | ||
| Jonna Clark | |||
| Abby Rosenberg | |||
| Alisa Van Cleave | |||
| University of Washington | Josie Amory | ||
| Karen Clay | |||
| Claire Creutzfeldt | |||
| James Fausto | |||
| Annie Hirano | |||
| Caroline Hurd | |||
| Dan Lam | |||
| Lu Marchand | |||
| Susan Merel | |||
| Megan Morrison | |||
| Katie Schlenker | |||
| Rashmi Sharma | |||
| Amy Trowbridge | |||
| Susan Wong | |||
| Virginia Mason Medical Center | Mark Beiter | ||
| Lynne Taylor | |||
| Wendy Wank | |||
| Tacoma | CHI Franciscan Health System | Tammy Bhang | |
| Juan Iregui | |||
| Mimi Pattison | |||
| Wisconsin | La Crosse | Gundersen Health | Laurence Skendzel |
| Madison | University of Wisconsin | Toby Campbell | |
| Sara Johnson | |||
| Margaret Schwarze | |||
| Marshfield | Marshfield Clinic | Michael Claessens | |
| Tomasz Okon | |||
| Milwaukee | Aurora/Lakeshore | Agron Ismaili |
International Faculty
| Country | City | Institution | Name |
| Australia | Adelaide | Northern Adelaide Palliative Service | David Holden |
| Hobart | Royal Hobart Hospital | Robyn Thomas | |
| Perth | Royal Perth Hospital | Derek Eng | |
| Southport | Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service | Joanne Doran | |
| Balaji Hiremagalur | |||
| Sydney | St. George Hospital & Community Health Service | Amy Waters | |
| Wahroonga | Neringah Hospital – Wahroonga | Sarah Thompson | |
| Canada | Calgary | University of Calgary | Amanda Roze des Ordons |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Chinese University of Hong Kong | Jacqueline Yuen |
| Italy | Reggio Emilia | University of Modena and Reggio Emilia | Leonardo Potenza |
| Japan | Tsu | Tsu Family Clinic | Misuzu Yuasa |
| New Zealand | Auckland | Auckland District Health Board | Elizabeth Stallworthy |
| Christchurch | Canterbury District Health Board | Jim Edwards | |
| Nurse Maude Clinic | Lee Anderson | ||
| Julia Holyoake | |||
| Tauranga | Waipuna Hospice | Prue McCallum | |
| Wellington | Capital and Coast District Health Board | Jonathan Adler |
Partners
Together with the Center to Advance Palliative Care and Ariadne Labs, we are changing the serious illness conversation through the Communication Skills Pathfinder.
The Communication Skills Pathfinder portal will enable every clinician to have high-quality conversations with the seriously ill patients they serve. By scaling best practices in clinician-patient communication—for both individual clinicians and organizations—we have a new national strategy for accelerating improvement in the care of serious illness.
Visit the Communication Skills Pathfinder.