Reducing Disparities for People with Serious Illness: Project Leadership and Steering Committee Members

CAPC is grateful to the health equity experts, researchers and program leaders who dedicated their time and guidance to our health equity work.

View Project Equity.

Brynn Bowman, MPA
Chief Executive Officer, Center to Advance Palliative Care

Brittany Chambers, MPH, MCHES
Senior Director, Health Equity, Center to Advance Palliative Care

Karen Bullock, PhD, LCSW
Endowed Professor of Social Work, Boston College

Kimberly Johnson, MD
Professor of Medicine and Director, Duke Center for Research to Advance Healthcare Equity

Diane E. Meier, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
Founder, Director Emerita and Strategic Medical Advisor, Center to Advance Palliative Care

Rachael Heitner, MPH, MA, CHPCA
Associate Director, Research and Insights

Rayna Ross
Health Equity Program Manager

Chelsea Perez
Education Associate

Melissa Scholl
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Stacie Sinclair, MPP
Associate Director, Policy and Care Transformation

Allison Silvers, MBA
Chief Health Care Transformation Officer

In 2025, CAPC convened a Steering Committee to guide our work to explore cultural, linguistic, and systemic factors impacting access to care for Hispanic communities facing serious illness. This committee is guiding the development of resources and best practices to improve care delivery.

Carine Davila, MD, MPH
Palliative Care Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

Giselle Lopez-Ingram
Certified Medical Interpreter-Spanish, Administrative Manager, Language Services, The Mount Sinai Hospital

Edward Peñate, DMin, BCC​ Palliative Care Chaplain, Northwestern Medicine in Chicago/University of Maryland Baltimore

Elena Prendergast, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, ACHPN Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, Augusta University Health

Carlos Alexis Turcios, MA
Assistant Director of the Pride, Center for LGBTQIA2+ Diversity, University of Maryland Baltimore County

From 2021-2024, CAPC convened a Steering Committee focused on improving care for Black people living with serious illness. This work progressed through two phases:

• Phase 1: Identifying current barriers via a national scan
• Phase 2: Development of a comprehensive guide to help champions implement solutions

Angie Boddie, MPS
Director of Health Programs, National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc.

Karen Bullock, PhD, LCSW
Endowed Professor of Social Work, Boston College

Rev. Cynthia Carter-Perrilliat, MPA
Co-founder, Executive Director, Alameda County Collaborative Care Alliance

Sandy Cayo, DNP, FNP-BC
Vice President of Clinical Performance and Transformation, New Jersey Hospital Association

Zara Cooper, MD, MSc, FACS
Kessler Director, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Kimberly Angelia Curseen, MD, FAAHPM
Director of Outpatient Supportive Care, Emory Palliative Care Center; Associate Professor, Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine

Marisette Hasan, RN, BSN
President and CEO, The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care

Connie Hwang, MD, MPH
Associate Chief Medical Officer, Twin Health

Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts
General Secretary Emeritus, Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.; Co-Chair, Equity Task Force, Coalition to Transform Advanced Care

Shirley Roberson (1954-2022)
Patient Advocate, Founder, The Blue Chair Movement

Gloria Thomas Anderson, PhD, LMSW
Founder and CEO, Heart Tones™

Mekdes Tsega, MPH
Program Manager, Equitable Health System Integration, American Medical Association Center for Health Equity

Sharl Azar, MD
Hematologist, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Medical Director, The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Center

Karen Bullock, PhD, LCSW
Endowed Professor of Social Work, Boston College

Joan Cain, MSN, FNP-BC, ACHPN
Nurse Practitioner, Adjunct Faculty, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Zara Cooper, MD, MSc, FACS
Kessler Director, Center for Surgery and Public Health, Associate Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Komal Chandra, PhD
Director of Operations for Patient Safety & High Value Care, New York City Health + Hospitals

Sherika Newman, DO
Associate Medical Director, CenterWell Primary Care Anywhere-Georgia

Clyde Oden Jr., OD, MPH, MBA, MDIV
Assistant Director - AC Care Alliance, Advance Illness Care Program

Stella Safo, MD, MPH
Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Mount Sinai

Danetta Sloan, PhD
Associate Research Professor, John Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions

This health equity portfolio is possible thanks to the generous support of funders, Elea Institute, The Commonwealth Fund, The John A. Hartford Foundation and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations with additional support from Ho-Chiang.