Global Perspectives in Palliative Care

Dr. Katie DeMarco is the Pain & Palliative Medicine Clinical Supervisor and a Palliative APN at Hackensack University Medical Center where she provides specialty palliative services to patients and their family in the acute hospital, skilled nursing facilities, and in the ALS clinic. She has a passion for translating palliative evidence based guidelines and strategies to the bedside and being an innovative change agent. Since 2009, Katie has supported and led the growth of the Hackensack Palliative Care Service. Katie has a BA in Human Services, a BS in Nursing, a Masters of Health Science in End of Life Care, Masters of Nursing in Family Practice, and in 2015 she earned a clinical Doctorate in Palliative Care. She is a certified family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and is a board-certified Hospice and Palliative Care Advanced Practice Nurse by the HPCC. Katie participates in state and national organizations and initiatives such as the NJ Department of Health Palliative Care Work Group, NJ Governor’s Council for Palliative and End of life care, member of the Goals of Care Coalition of New Jersey, HPNA APN Advisory Council, and she is a past president and the current VP, Health Policy/Legislation & Community, for the NJ Palliative Care APN Consortium. Katie is passionate about mentoring others, participating in palliative research and enjoys editing, and writing palliative articles and chapters.

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Samantha Wagner is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with an Advanced Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care. As a Palliative Care Coordinator with Hackensack Meridian Health, Samantha’s passion for the field drives her work providing psychosocial support to patients and families experiencing serious illness. Samantha assists with advance care planning, goals of care discussions, providing grief and bereavement interventions, and engages in transdisciplinary collaboration. She also facilitates and fosters inter professional training for students and new-hires on the team. She is committed to improving quality of life for patients and families through advocacy, education, and compassionate patient-centered care. In addition to her hospital-based work, Samantha serves as clinician in a specialized palliative psychotherapy clinic, for patients facing serious illness. She continues to provide therapy within the clinic, delivering tailored, evidence-based practices that address the complex psychosocial needs of those receiving palliative care. With over a decade of experience in medical and palliative social work, Samantha is dedicated to advancing holistic, culturally sensitive, and person-focused value based care. Samantha holds a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.