Gerontology Nurse Expert Witness

Expert Witness No.308

California

Education

Master of Science in Gerontology, University in California
Bachelor of Science in Biology, University in California
Certificate in Applied Geriatric Mental Health, County Dept. of Mental Health, California
Certified Grief Recovery Counselor
Registered Nurse, County Medical Center School of Nursing, California
Certified Hospice & Palliative Care Nurse

Awards

2004, Nurse of the Year Nursing Excellence Award, Nurse Week- for Innovation & Creativity in End-of-Life Nursing
2004, Finalist, 2nd Annual HealthCare Leadership Awards, San Fernando Valley Business Journal
2003, Special Recognition Award, American Society on Aging, presented at Annual Conference in Chicago

Employment

1/02 – present, Hospital, Clinical Director, Palliative Care, Pain Management & Bereavement Service, Responsibilities include full clinical oversight & practice of pain management, palliative care & grief counseling with hospitalized patients to maximize comfort & quality-of-life.  Also involves following these patients upon discharge, and continuing to assess & maximize quality-of-life, comfort, and safe & independent living skills.  Education of hospital staff, community providers, patients and families.

6/98 – present, HealthWaves, Ltd., Clinical Gerontologist & Care Manager, Responsibilities include assessing functional integrity & quality-of-life in older adults, care management, pain management, grief counseling, and consultation with & education of professionals & lay persons.

6/83 – present, Long Term Care Gerontology Center in California, Center Fellow & Clinical Gerontologist, Honorary Position.  Responsibilities include consulting with community providers on assessment, quality-of-life, pain management & grief issues, and training multi-disciplinary graduate students & professionals in functional assessment, grief, care management and pain management & palliative care.

9/95 – 1/02 Coordinated, Staff Builders, Roze Room, St. Ann & TLC Home Hospices, Clinical Hospice Nurse & Education Director.  Responsibilities included case management, pain management, symptom control, and emotional & spiritual support of terminally ill older adult hospice patients; assessing changes in and maximizing quality-of-life & functional integrity; grief counseling, and educating patients, families, & clinicians about quality- of-life, pain management palliative care & hospice.

2/95 – 10/95, County Medical Center in California, Pain Management & Palliative Care Service, Clinical Register Nurse & Member, Skin Care Task Force.  Responsibilities included assessment & management of chronic pain in adult patients; assessment of changes in quality-of-life & functional integrity; and educating patients, families, and staff & students about pain management, quality-of-life, and functional integrity.

1/94 – 2/95, County Medical Center in California, Adult Oncology Unit, Clinical Register Nurse & Member, Skin Care & Wound Management. Committee.  Responsibilities included full assessment, care, and teaching of multicultural older adult oncology patients, assessing functional integrity & quality-of-life, as well as grief counseling patients and their families.

7/93 – 1/94, Memorial Hospital of Modesto - Adult Orthopedic/Neurological Unit, Clinical Registered Nurse & Member, Pain Management Committee.  Responsibilities included full assessment, care and teaching of older adult trauma, stroke, & orthopedic patients, assessment of functional integrity, grief counseling patients & families, and pain management consultation.

3/91 – 1/92, Convalescent Hospital, Administrator & Respite Coordinator.  Responsibilities included preparing facility for & serving as Administrator through time of federal survey, creation of respite program, and assessing & improving functional integrity and quality of life of elderly patients.

2/90 – 3/91, The Resource Center, Director & Senior Counselor.  Responsibilities included administrative oversight, training counselors, and fielding all cases involving potential suicide, grief resolution, or gerontology/geriatrics and caregiving.  Also served as liaison to government funders.

5/87 – 12/89, Hospital (Orthopedics & Post-Burn Reconstruction), Associate Research Director & Director, Information Services.  Responsibilities included design & administration of clinical protocols, patient assessment, evaluation of functional integrity and quality of life, and creation of integrated medical/allied health/psychosocial information services.

6/86 – 5/87, ARA Living Centers, Inc., Clinical Gerontologist & Administrator-in-Training.  Responsibilities included serving as acting administrator, program development, patient assessment, evaluation of functional integrity & quality of life, quality assurance, and grief counseling for residents and their families.

3/85 – 6/86, ElderMed  (a division of HealthWest), Clinical Gerontologist.  Responsibilities included design & implementation of programs assessing physical health, functional integrity, quality of life, & psychosocial functioning of well elderly persons living independently in the community.

6/84 – 1/85, Angeles Home Health Care, Inc., Consulting Clinical Gerontologist.  In this time-limited consulting position, responsibilities included field training staff in the skills of assessing functional integrity, environmental safety & support, quality of life, & psychosocial functioning.

Affiliations

American Academy Hospice/Palliative Medicine
American Public Health Association
American Society of Pain Management Nurses
American Society on Aging  (Chair, End-of-Life Issues Committee)
Association for Death Education & Counseling
California Hospice Foundation
Gerontological Nursing Association
Hospice & Palliative Care Nurses Association
Miracle Kids – Professional Advisory Board
Society of Certified Senior Advisors
Southern California Cancer Pain Initiative
TLC Home Hospice – Professional Advisory Board
UCLA Extension, Dept. of the Sciences & Dept. of Humanities (Coordinator & Instructor)

Television Interviews

Available upon request

Professional Presentations

Available upon request