Marie Anne Bakitas, DNSc, CRNP, NP-C, AOCN, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
Dr Bakitas is Professor, School of Nursing, Associate Director, Center for Palliative and Supportive Care, Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology, and Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and SWOG co-chair, Palliative and End-of-Life Committee. She has developed innovative methods, such as telehealth & teleconsultation, to improve and implement strategies for increasing palliative and supportive care access for rural, under-represented and under-resourced persons with serious illness & their family caregivers. Her program of research has expanded beyond cancer to other serious illnesses such as heart failure, COPD, and cystic fibrosis, and she is working with international collaborators in Singapore, Turkey, and Iran to bring palliative care to everyone, everywhere, every time it is needed.
Dr Bakitas has published over 200 original data-based papers, book chapters and books. She is an American Academy of Nursing Fellow and a Palliative Care Nursing Fellow.
Brystana Kaufman, PhD, MSPH, Duke University School of Medicine and Durham VA Medical Center, USA
Dr Kaufman is a health services researcher focused on improving the value of care for older adults with complex care needs, such as serious illness or developmental disability. She brings expertise in causal inference as well as Medicaid and Medicare value-based payment models to inform evidence-based program design. Dr Kaufman is Assistant Professor of Population Health Sciences in the Duke University School of Medicine and a Research Health Scientist in the Durham VA. She also worked with the CMS Innovation Center as a 2022–2023 Health and Aging Policy fellow, and she is core faculty with the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy.
Miguel Antonio Sánchez-Cárdenas PhD, MSc, BSN, BSL, Latin American Observatory of Palliative Care and Health Care and Universidad El Bosque in Bogotá, Colombia
Dr Sánchez-Cárdenas is a distinguished professor and researcher specializing in the global development of palliative care. Currently, he serves as the Director of the Latin American Palliative Care Observatory, overseeing regional initiatives across 18 countries. As the founder of the Colombian Palliative Care Observatory, he has made significant contributions through postdoctoral research, including the development of palliative care atlases for Latin America and the Eastern Mediterranean.
His expertise extends to home care for patients with palliative needs, where he has evaluated various care models for those facing life-threatening illnesses. Dr Sánchez-Cárdenas has a profound interest in developing effective palliative care strategies within rural settings, recognizing the unique challenges faced by these communities. He advocates for community-based models and telemedicine to enhance access to palliative care services, ensuring that individuals in remote areas receive the support they need.
