SIIPSC Regional Advisory Council
K r i s t i A c k e r , D N P , P h D , C R N P
Spring 2024 | Issue 11 | Page 5
The UAB Southeast Institute for Innovation in Palliative and Supportive Care ( SIIPSC ) has developed a Regional Advisory Council that includes representatives from each state in the Southeast .
The purpose of the Regional Advisory Council ( RAC ) is : 1 . Provide feedback to SIIPSC on identifying common hospice and palliative care needs in the Southeast , so that the Institute can help design and provide needed education and training and conduct research that will meet these needs .
2 . For all of us working in hospice and palliative care in the Southeast to get a broader perspective of our practices , needs , barriers , and strategies for overcoming these ; to share resources , and effective practices through newsletters and other forms of communication , with the overall goal of enhancing the dissemination of best practices in hospice and palliative care throughout the Southeastern states .
The Regional Advisory Council members are below ( alphabetical order ):
As a Family Nurse Practitioner with specialty certifications in Palliative Care and Oncology , Dr . Kristi Acker advocates for consumers to increase access to quality palliative care for serious illnesses . For twenty-five years working as an advanced practice nurse , serving rural and underserved populations , she has been a forerunner in supporting the integration of interdisciplinary models of care into clinical practice at local , state , regional , and national levels . Her commitment to working collaboratively through actionable partnerships remains a priority as she advocates for transformative healthcare changes .
Dr . Kantrow is a palliative care physician at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge , Louisiana with 20 years of practice experience . He is also the System Medical Director of Palliative Care for The Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and the program director for the LSU Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship .
Mark Kantrow , MD , FAAHPM
J e n n i f e r M a s s e y , L M S W , A C H P - S W
K a l i s a M i c k e l l , R N
Ms . Massey is the Manager of Patient Continuum of Care Services with Beaufort Memorial Hospital in Beaufort , SC . Currently her primary focus is to manage and grow the Palliative Care Program at Beaufort Memorial .
A graduate of University of Virginia , Jennifer spent 10 years working in customer service and sales before returning to school to get her master ’ s degree at the University of South Carolina . This is where Palliative Care found her and she has spent the last 20 years working in hospice , oncology and palliative care . Ms . Massey ’ s passion is helping patients facing serious illness identify and achieve their personal goals to live their best quality of life .
Ms . Mickell is a palliative care nurse practitioner who sees patients at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo , MS . She has been a nurse for 20 years with experience in many different areas of nursing . She joined the inpatient palliative care team with Dr . McElwain in 2021 and sees patients with chronic and terminal illnesses . She also works with the Department of Strategy at NMMC - Tupelo which focuses on health equity and raising community awareness for various health conditions affecting minority populations . She is also a member of the Ethics Committee and the Advanced Practice Advisory Committe at NMMC .