The role requires empathy and openness. As Tastad explains, it’s about being able to “swing into a patient’s space” and meet people wherever they are in their spiritual beliefs.  

That approach has earned him the 2025 Doris A. Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care from the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care. 

As chaplain and coordinator of the Advance Care Planning program at Sharp HealthCare, Tastad helps patients and families navigate complex medical decisions with attention to their values, beliefs and goals. His work places him at the intersection of spiritual care, ethics and medicine, both at the bedside and within healthcare systems across San Diego County. 

The award includes a $25,000 gift — funded by The Shiley Foundation and its president Darlene Marcos Shiley — to an organization chosen by the awardee. This year, the gift will support the bereavement department at Sharp HospiceCare.  

Beyond his work with patients and their families, Tastad has been a steady presence in the region’s palliative care community. He has served on hospital bioethics committees and has been active with local and statewide organizations working to expand access to palliative care and advance care planning through public policy, national speaking engagements and community education.  

Tastad was nominated by three leaders in the palliative care field who cited his decades of service, mentorship and leadership. One nominator, Jennifer Moore Ballentine, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, said his philosophy of care reflects a rare blend of humility and presence.

“I can think of no one I would rather have ‘swing into my space’ to offer company, comfort and care in any grief or trouble or, indeed, at the end of my life,” Ballentine said. 

Tastad will receive the award during the welcome reception for the 2026 National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research on June 4 at the University Student Union on the Cal State San Marcos campus. 

The Howell award is named after the late Dr. Doris Howell, a legendary physician and pioneer in pediatric hematology, oncology and community medicine who in 1977 founded San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine.  

The main symposium is June 2-3, with a post-symposium workshop on June 4.

The cost for students is $50 for the June 4 post-symposium workshop, $175 for the main symposium June 2-3 or $225 for both the workshop and main symposium. Breakfast and lunch are included each day.

Early-bird registration rates are also available for faculty and professionals until April 1. The early-bird rates are $100 for the workshop, $425 for the main symposium or $525 for both.

The symposium is a unique and interactive multidisciplinary conference designed to highlight the latest in academic palliative care research, teaching and practice. It is the only event of its kind in the country designed for university faculty, practitioners and researchers focused on advancing palliative care.

Visit the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care website to register or for more information.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Interim assistant director of editorial and external affairs
ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Erlick’s debut novel, “The Measure,” became an instant bestseller on the prestigious New York Times list upon its publication last June. It was selected as a monthly pick for the “Today” show book club, #ReadWithJenna, and as a “Discover Pick of the Month” by Barnes & Noble. The novel chronicles an interweaving cast of characters set in a world where people can find out how much time they have left to live.

A Harvard University alumna, Erlick is also a travel writer whose work has appeared in New York magazine, Newsweek, the Huffington Post and Vox, among others.

Erlick is the headliner of the 2023 National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research, set for March 1-3 at the Hilton Long Beach. She will speak on Wednesday, March 1 – the night before the symposium officially begins – and do a book signing, with the first 100 attendees receiving a copy of “The Measure.”

Erlick’s keynote address will come on the same night that the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, based at Cal State San Marcos, celebrates its 10^th anniversary. During the pre-symposium festivities, on March 1 from 5:30 to 8:30, the institute will present the annual Doris A. Howell Award for Advancing Palliative Care to Karl Steinberg, MD, a longtime nursing facility and hospice medical director in the San Diego region.

Anyone who would like to attend the 10th anniversary reception is asked to RSVP to the email address RSVPHowellAward@csusm.edu by February 20, 2023. 

The theme of the 2023 symposium is "Interprofessional Palliative Care for All. Patients. Practitioners. Care Partners. Classrooms. Communities." Among the dignitaries who are scheduled to attend are the two namesakes of the institute: Darlene Marcos Shiley, a prominent philanthropist in the San Diego region, and Karen Haynes, the longest-serving president in CSUSM history.

The symposium is a unique and interactive multidisciplinary conference designed to highlight the latest in academic palliative care research, teaching and practice. It is the only event of its kind in the country designed for university faculty, practitioners and researchers focused on advancing palliative care.

The conference features a dynamic agenda of plenary, paper, panel and workshop sessions highlighting how to incorporate palliative care concepts into research, courses and experiences at all educational levels.

Since 2014, more than 1,200 professionals from universities, academic medical centers, health care systems, health plans, hospices and community hospitals have attended the conference.

 A $25,000 gift in Howell’s honor from philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley accompanies the annual award and is bestowed on a local health care organization with ties to the selected recipient. This year's beneficiary organization will be named shortly. 

Karl Steinberg, MD, medical director for many San Diego-based agencies and facilities since the mid-1990s, is this year’s Howell honoree, the Cal State San Marcos-based institute announced. Steinberg has been medical director of Hospice by the Sea since 1995, and he also has served as medical director for organizations that include Carlsbad By The Sea Care Center, Beecan Health (35 facilities), Mariner Health Care (21 facilities), Shea Family Care, La Paloma Healthcare Center and Scripps Coastal Medical Center.  

He also has served on the board of directors of the San Diego County Medical Society and the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, and as member, delegate or officer for the California Medical Association; California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine (CALTCM); American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; American Medical Association; and AMDA. He currently serves as president of National POLST, which sets national standards for portable medical orders.

Steinberg was nominated for the award by Jennifer Moore Ballentine, CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care and the former executive director of the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care.

“In his work with patients, Dr. Steinberg offers an expert and empathic bedside presence. His authentic humility and devotion to the well-being of every person he encounters – whether in the facility, the classroom or the legislative hearing room – are always to the fore,” Ballentine said. “Dr. Steinberg is also a tireless advocate, teacher, writer and leader who has significantly advanced palliative care in the San Diego region across many fronts. He has ‘worked the halls’ in the state capitol, testified and advised on legislation affecting medical decision-making for and by frail elders, and lent his voice and strength to many causes with direct impact on people living with serious illness.”

Steinberg will receive the award when the institute celebrates its 10th anniversary on March 1 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Hilton Long Beach. The celebration will include a reception and a presentation by writer Nikki Erlick, followed by a signing of her bestselling debut novel “The Measure.” Anyone who would like to attend the reception is asked to RSVP to the email address RSVPHowellAward@csusm.edu by February 20, 2023. 

The Howell award is named after the late Dr. Doris Howell, a legendary physician and pioneer in pediatric hematology, oncology and community medicine who in 1977 founded San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine (SDHIPM).

For more information about the institute and/or the Howell award, visit csupalliativecare.org.

The one-hour self-paced course gives nurses and future nurses in any health care setting an overview of palliative care, as well as strategies to talk with patients and families about palliative care, help them identify health care goals, and start advance care planning.

Nurses and other health care professionals can sign up here to receive the free course promo code. Those who complete the course will earn one continuing education (CE) credit.

Palliative care is an extra level of support for people with serious or life-limiting illnesses. It focuses on managing pain, nausea, anxiety and other physical, emotional and spiritual symptoms common in serious illness, so patients and families can live their best lives possible.

For more information about the institute’s online palliative care courses, visit csupalliativecare.org or call 760-750-4006.

Sharon Hamill had just arrived on campus as a young assistant professor. She was also pregnant with her third child, facing the challenge of establishing herself in a brand new educational setting while not knowing anybody. She was also recently diagnosed with melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. Her hills to climb were many.

But she was thrown a lifeline. It may be more accurate to say a quilt figuratively covered her with a sense of community.

“I don’t think I ever shared with anybody who I was quilting with what was going on with me, but that connection to people and sense of normality made all the difference,” said Hamill of the lunchtime quilting in the University Commons building. “I think of it as hearts connecting. I think of what Pat and Leslie did in a very simple gesture to invite others in. I still have such tremendously positive feelings about that.”

Pat and Leslie are Pat Worden and Leslie Zomalt, legendary CSUSM faculty who had large impacts across the university. Some of the quilts the duo facilitated the creation of have been hung in various spots around campus like the library.

Fast forward to a new century, a campus that looks nothing like it did in 1996 and the challenge of creating caring programs when the community perhaps has never needed it more.

Introducing the CSUSM COVID-19 compassion quilting project, which will soon begin creating a campus quilt to commemorate the community’s collective experience around the pandemic.

For Hamill, giving back has no expiration date.

“President (Ellen) Neufeldt has set the stage for a culture of care, and COVID has provided the opportunity to really show where the rubber meets the road; are you able to live what you espouse?” said Hamill, who in addition to her roles as psychology/child and adolescent development professor and chair of the Academic Senate, is the founding faculty director for the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM.

“Across all universities it is a real struggle with students’ mental health and physical health. Staff, faculty, administrators – everyone is feeling it. One of the things that make a big difference is just opportunities to show our common humanity. And when you see suffering – and that is what our campus is doing right now is suffering – there’s a beautiful opportunity for people to reach out to one another and lend a hand, lend a heart and help people to feel like they’re not alone.”

Members of the CSUSM community are encouraged to create a panel to honor someone who died during the pandemic, honor someone who has performed exemplary service during this time or to simply show expressions of gratefulness during the challenge of the past year.

The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM office is partnering with Hamill. Michael McDuffie, the faculty director for the IPC at CSUSM, has worked closely with Hamill on the details. Jillian Dunn, a graphics and public relations specialist, has created a video to show how to make your own 10” quilt panel.

When campus reopens, the plan is to gather people in the CSUSM community who like to sew, have an artistic bent or simply want to help. Those who don’t know how to sew can be taught. Once the piecing happens (when the top of the quilt is put together), the stitching will proceed perhaps in front of the University Student Union with tables and volunteers in an open setting that hopefully encourages shared experiences and feelings.

“It’s a way to allow people to give a name to the losses they’ve had or to those individuals and things they’re grateful for and to share it with other people,” said Hamill, who was one of nine children in her family and has three sons of her own. “Where it has an impact is not just on the community but on the individuals themselves. There’s a lot of research out there on using expressive arts as a way to deal with your own grief, your own stress.”

Depending on how many squares they get, the plan is to have an exhibit on campus in the spring of 2022. Most likely there will be multiple quilts rather than one massive quilt because after the exhibit it will be important to share it.

Individual quilts could be put in places like the library, and the IPC at CSUSM senate offices as a reminder that this is now part of the campus history.

Much of Hamill’s career research has focused on family caregiving. In fact, her and graduate student Sean Griser are currently conducting a survey on caregivers of family members with Alzheimer’s disease during COVID-19. She is starting to see an increase in the number of college students doubling as caregivers for family members.

The hope is that the study will further understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting caregiving and what caregivers need for support.

Hamill teaches a class on risk and resiliency. While students, faculty and staff all deal with life’s challenges on a daily basis, doing it when you’re isolated and feeling like you’re the only one not handling it well can be overwhelming.

Positive effects need to come out of the experience.

“A big part of resiliency is learning how to cope with the stresses that you have in very healthy ways,” she said. “That includes expressive art, mindfulness, communicating with other people and common projects. Those are ways for us to build community. It will have the benefit of improving our own mental and physical health if we do that.”

While on sabbatical in 2017, Hamill took a quilting class at Grand Country Quilters on Grand Avenue in San Marcos. Virginia Palomari was the expert quilter who taught her, and neither Palomari nor anyone else she watched or quilted side-by-side with had any affiliation with CSUSM. But Hamill couldn’t help but think of her quilting experience at CSUSM’s Dome two decades previous when the campus was a fraction of what it is now in population, architecture and influence.

It was another one of those serendipitous moments that showed her that life is more than just a series of random events, but rather a tapestry of experiences that are defined by how people treat each other. How our hearts are shaped. How much love we put out in the world.

“The sense of community around creating something and connecting with other people was so powerful,” Hamill said. “We really need to build opportunities to connect with others over things we love. When things get rough, people do rise up and they reach out and they look for opportunities to connect with other people. We have our issues. But what I see is a real drive in people to make changes to create a better campus and a better world.

“As hard as it is (with COVID), we still every day see people coming up with yet another way for the campus community to connect. That’s what gives me the hope that when we finally are able to return to campus it won’t be coming back to exactly the way it was initially, but the heart will be there.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

It’s a vital and challenging mission, even absent a coronavirus pandemic, economic crises, and shifts in federal health care policy. Yet the foundation continues to focus on having meaningful, measurable impact across the state.

Through grantmaking, research, and thought leadership, CHCF is moving the needle on several fronts, including helping to make high-quality serious illness care and end-of-life care more accessible to all who need it.

That movement is illustrated by the foundation’s support of the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care, headquartered at Cal State San Marcos. The institute creates and delivers online and in-person education to help health professionals build specialized skills to relieve suffering and enhance quality of life for people with serious illnesses and those who care for them.

CHCF helped to launch the institute in 2012 and has continued to invest in its educational programs through grants totaling $1.95 million. Over the past eight years, the institute has trained more than 20,000 health professionals in palliative care and reached more than 25,000 students through education and awareness campaigns led by its campus partners.

CHCF has been integral to that success, said the institute’s Executive Director Jennifer Moore Ballentine.

“From the beginning, the California Health Care Foundation has been an engaged and extremely supportive partner,” Ballentine said. “Not only have they provided significant funding, but they have been a valuable thought partner, collaborator, and promoter in our mutual mission of advancing palliative care.”

Palliative care is whole-person, patient-centered care designed to ease suffering and improve quality of life for people with serious illnesses. It’s “what we would all want health care to be,” said Kate Meyers, MPP, Senior Program Officer for High-Value Care at CHCF.

“We all want health care providers to look at us as people with lives that exist outside of the health care system, instead of as a collection of diagnoses,” Meyers said. “We want care that will help us live our best lives as we face a serious illness.”

Meyers noted that CHCF’s initial investment in the institute was a recognition that, if California was going to meet the growing need for palliative care services, it needed a source of education, expertise and support for the clinicians who would provide those services.

As the institute has grown, CHCF has helped it identify and fund new educational programs on topics such as primary palliative care skills, care management, and telemedicine – all critical to expanding access to care for vulnerable populations, Meyers said.

Primary palliative care skills – basic skills for clinicians without advanced training in palliative care – are particularly important because, as the population ages, more people will be diagnosed with serious illnesses. Health professionals in primary care practices, clinics, and other settings must be prepared to care for them.

“It’s long been known that there aren't and won't ever be enough palliative care specialists – physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and others – to meet the growing need for palliative care,” Meyers said.

That’s a problem because palliative care skills such as communication, advance care planning, psychosocial aspects of care, and care at the end of life aren’t adequately addressed in medical school or training programs for other disciplines, she said.

“We expect these clinicians to emerge from their training equipped to do something they're not trained to do,” Meyers said. “They don't get nearly enough training in essential areas like pain and symptom management in progressive illness, having difficult conversations with patients and families, and addressing complex emotional issues.”

Weaving palliative care education into pre-professional training is critical. In 2019, CHCF helped fund a collaboration between the institute and its campus partners at Cal State San Marcos, Fresno State, and Cal State Monterey Bay to create a faculty toolkit with teaching and learning resources that can be incorporated into any classroom.

Twenty faculty members at the three campuses piloted the toolkit, reaching a total of 1,170 students in disciplines including nursing, social work, psychology, and gerontology. The institute is now working to make the toolkit more widely available across the CSU.

“The toolkit is a rich opportunity to collaborate with CSU colleagues to expand palliative care education across disciplines in undergraduate and graduate education,” said Pamela Kohlbry, RN, Ph.D., Director of University Relations and Research for the institute. “I’m so grateful to CHCF for supporting this important and inspiring work.”

The foundation continues to support other palliative care education, research, and quality initiatives across the state. In addition to the institute, CHCF has funded programs through the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, the Palliative Care Quality Network at UC San Francisco, and many others including California’s public hospitals and a variety of health plans and community-based palliative care provider organizations.

Meyers said although access to palliative care has improved greatly in California and around the country, “it’s not enough. There’s still a long way to go to make sure all people with serious illness receive the kind of support that can help them live their best lives,” she said.

To learn more about CHCF’s work in palliative care, visit www.chcf.org/topic/serious-illness-end-of-life-care/.

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

The 90-minute training sessions are offered at 1 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month. Sign up at the SDCCC website by the Friday before a session.

“This project makes a positive impact on our community by providing future and current health care professionals with knowledge and training directly related to palliative care and advance care planning,” said Michael McDuffie, Faculty Director of the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM. “In response to the pandemic, we’re doing our part to pivot toward an online world of distanced communication. Our training directly supports our initiative to implement telehealth advance care planning in local nursing homes, and it’s gratifying to know that a growing number of families have already done some important planning, with good support, thanks to our growing project.”

The training webinar helps attendees learn more about Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST), including:

• How to have a skillful POLST conversation;
• How to properly complete the POLST document;
• How to store and retrieve the POLST document utilizing the community ePOLST registry; and
• Current POLST updates and policy.

One free Continuing Education Unit (CEU) will be provided for eligible RN’s, upon completion of the course post survey.

The webinar series was launched at the invitation of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (CCCC) and complements a project being piloted through a collaboration between the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM, the CCCC and SDCCC using telehealth technologies to conduct advance care planning conversations during the pandemic.

“The COVID-19 pandemic makes it very important for patients and families to think about unexpected health care needs and discuss the sorts of medical treatments that are wanted or unwanted; however, social distancing and infection control measures make it hard for nursing home residents to have these discussions, especially with educational support from trained professionals,” McDuffie said.

“Our project explores the feasibility of having advance care planning discussions via telehealth technologies, using Zoom or similar platforms to connect patients, families and patient education specialists. Through telehealth conferences, patients receive educational support to update or complete a new set of POLST form, preparing them for additional consultation with their medical providers. Our project also includes an educational component for future health care professionals: Graduate students in health-related fields complete an online orientation session and then are invited, with patient/family permission, to observe the conference and gain firsthand exposure to the conversational skills and knowledge necessary for this sort of patient education.”

Earlier this summer, CSUSM announced that the Institute’s name would be changing in recognition of generous gifts received from philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley. Shiley has been an incredible champion of palliative care and an invaluable supporter of CSUSM and the Institute for several years. (Read more about Shiley’s contributions here.)

Multiple tasks involved in the name change are now complete, and more will be continuing over the next several weeks, including new signs near the Institute’s office at 109 Commons on the CSUSM campus.

Since 2012, the Institute has been charged with positively impacting the critical shortage of nurses, physicians, social workers and spiritual-care providers trained in palliative care, using a groundbreaking online educational model that emphasizes a whole-person, patient-centered approach aimed at improving quality of life for people with serious or life-limiting illness.

For more information, call 760-750-4006 or visit csupalliativecare.org.

But the 2019 Gala on June 8 was unlike any other.

A special evening to celebrate the legacy of President Karen Haynes and First Gentleman Jim Mickelson was capped by the announcement that philanthropist Darlene Marcos Shiley has donated $2.6 million to the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, which is being renamed the Shiley CSU Institute for Palliative Care.

The event raised a record $264,200 during the annual Raise the Paddle to support student access and success initiatives. While Raise the Paddle typically signals the end of the formal program, Cathy Baur, vice president for University Advancement, returned to the podium to announce one more gift.

“For decades, Darlene and her late husband Donald have been generous philanthropists, not only in our region but nationally,” Baur told more than 500 attendees.

“In 2012, when Darlene learned that Cal State San Marcos would be the home for the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, she applauded President Haynes for taking on a project that was smart, compassionate and greatly needed. At the Institute’s launch event in September of that year, Darlene caught everyone by surprise when she announced an unexpected $1.2 million gift for the Institute. Three years later, seeing the enormous impact of the Institute, she donated an additional $1.8 million.

“Tonight, Darlene has outdone herself once again.”

Haynes, CSUSM’s third and longest-serving president, will step down on June 30 after a 15½-year tenure. Also retiring that day is Mickelson, the founder and director of ACE Scholars Services, CSUSM’s innovative program to help former foster youth.

Numerous dignitaries – from elected officials to current and former university presidents – attended Haynes’ final CSUSM Gala. Multiple tribute videos were shown, including one about the "The Love of Two Social Workers" and one focused on their legacy at CSUSM.

“Saying goodbye to a retiring president is never easy, but it’s especially difficult in Karen’s case,” CSU Chancellor Timothy White told attendees. “Many of you may know that she has held the title of Cal State’s senior president since 2016. Her wise, courageous and compassionate counsel has helped make all of the Cal State presidents stronger leaders. Indeed, Karen’s legacy extends far beyond the San Marcos campus; the CSU is a stronger institution for her service.”

Media Contact

Eric Breier, Public Affairs Specialist

ebreier@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7314

Helen B. McNeal, executive director of the Institute, was joined by Cal State San Marcos President Karen Haynes and philanthropist Darlene Shiley for a ceremonial ribbon cutting as dozens of guests helped to celebrate the official opening of the Institute’s new facility on CSUSM’s campus.

“Palliative care is the answer to changing the journey of serious and chronic illness that so many of us will face — and change it for the better,” Haynes told attendees. “I am pleased that one of the important forces for making this change a reality has its home here at Cal State San Marcos.”

Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients and families facing serious or chronic illness using an interdisciplinary team approach.

“Advancing compassionate care and ensuring that everyone has access to the best quality of life through palliative care is essential,” Haynes said. “And we envision a future in which it is readily available to all.”

The festivities also included the inaugural awarding of the Doris A. Howell MD Award for Advancing Palliative Care. The awards were presented to Dr. Daniel R. Hoefer and Suzi K. Johnson of Sharp HealthCare. Hoefer is chief medical officer of outpatient palliative care and associate medical director for Sharp HospiceCare, while Johnson is vice president for Sharp HospiceCare.

“Together, Dan and Suzi have been instrumental in Sharp’s leading edge work in incorporating palliative care across Sharp and in advancing the care of those with serious and chronic illness in San Diego and nationally,” McNeal said.

Four years ago, Shiley surprised attendees and organizers at the launch event for the CSU Institute for Palliative Care with a $1.2 million gift. Shiley, whose contributions in support of the Institute have surpassed $3 million, provided another pleasant surprise at the reception honoring Hoefer and Johnson.

Shiley pledged support to the Institute so that a monetary award will accompany this prestigious award in perpetuity.

“It just seemed like the right thing to do at the right time,” Shiley said. “It’s a great honor for me to do something that would honor Dr. Howell. That’s why I do what I do.”

Howell, who was in attendance at the reception, had a long and distinguished career in medicine and was the driving force in establishing San Diego Hospice and the Institute for Palliative Medicine in the 1970s.

“Her commitment to providing compassionate, dignified, quality palliative and end-of-life care has been unswerving,” McNeal said.

Though the Institute was founded at CSUSM, it has grown to include eight CSU campuses. McNeal said the Howell Award will be presented by all of the Institute’s partner campuses to leaders in their respective communities beginning next year.

“If we might be so bold, we hope one day that this award will be to the palliative care community as the DAISY Award is to nurses nationally,” McNeal said.

McNeal also noted the contributions of Haynes, CSUSM Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Linda Hawk and the CSU Office of the Chancellor in helping the Institute secure space for a new home on CSUSM’s campus.

“It is gratifying to see what has been accomplished in such a short period of time,” Haynes said.

Visit the Institute website for more information.

Honoring a Lifetime of Dedication to Palliative Care

The California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) named Helen B. McNeal as its 2015 Pierre Salmon Award of Excellence recipient. McNeal, executive director of the California State University Institute for Palliative Care, located at Cal State San Marcos, accepted the award at the CHAPCA Annual Awards Luncheon in Long Beach on November 10.

National Award for Outstanding Older Adult Model Program

CSUSM’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) was presented with the Older Adult Model Program Award from the Association for Continuing Higher Education, Inc. (ACHE) on November 11 for providing outstanding learning opportunities and service to an older population. ACHE was established in 1973 to stimulate, encourage and reward outstanding contributions in the advancement of higher education. The award was presented during the 77th annual conference and meeting in Denver.

A Woman Who Means Business

College of Science and Mathematics Dean Katherine Kantardjieff was a finalist in the San Diego Business Journal’s Woman Who Mean Business Awards, which recognizes the top women business leaders who have made significant contributions to San Diego’s economy, culture and social network. Kantardjieff, who has served as the founding dean of the College since 2011, accepted the award at a ceremony in San Diego on November 18.

Professor Selected for Prestigious Simms/Mann Institute Faculty Fellowship

Kimberly D’Anna-Hernandez, assistant professor of psychology, was one of 13 faculty from the California State University (CSU) chosen for the coveted 2015-2016 Simms/Mann Institute Faculty Fellowship in early childhood care and education. The fellows will participate in a unique professional development opportunity in collaboration with faculty from the California Community Colleges while helping to build the CSU’s early childhood curriculum. They will each spend one year completing a project that translates neuroscience research into practical applications. Additionally, each Faculty Fellow will collaborate with an interdisciplinary cohort of professionals to focus on integrating the latest research into their classrooms.

CSUSM a Top University for Norwegian Students

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, D.C. reports that the number of Norwegian students pursuing a full degree at U.S. universities in the 2014-2015 academic year was up over previous years. Cal State San Marcos was the fourth most popular university among Norwegian students. Nearly 11 percent of international students studying at CSUSM in fall 2014 came from Norway.

"Through his illness, I experienced exactly what it is that Cal State San Marcos is working toward with its new palliative care institute," she said. "There’s an enormous need for that kind of care, not only for those who are afflicted themselves, but for those of us who care for them."

Darlene and Donald, a couple well-regarded in the San Diego region for their philanthropic support to education, health care and the arts, were married in 1978 and considered themselves truly lucky in love. Years later as Donald’s health began to decline, Darlene was determined to provide the best possible care for him in their home.

"I remember Donald was very specific," she recalled. "He said, ‘If you can keep me with you at home, I know I’d really like that.’ I was careful in selecting palliative care professionals, and when it came to the point where he couldn’t discuss his care, I knew what he wanted, which made all the difference in the world. That’s why we say

to discuss these things with your loved one, because the knowing strengthens you. By knowing what he wanted I could make sure that it happened—I called myself his patient advocate."

Her experience loving and caring for Donald through the end of his life is what led her to surprise attendees and organizers with a $1.2 million gift at the launch event for the CSU Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM in September 2012. The Institute was founded to address the critical shortage of nursing, social work, spiritual and other professionals with palliative care skills and training while also educating the public about the value of palliative care and how to access it.

"I think that people always assume with the palliative care process that the folks come in and they administer to the person who is not well," she reflected. "In fact there could be two people in the room who are not well—the patient and the one that is caring and loving that person. I didn’t have a very good marriage… I had a stupendous marriage. Losing Donald was very, very hard."

Palliative care uses an interdisciplinary team approach to help patients and their families. Teams typically include a physician, nurse, social worker, pharmacist, chaplain and others as needed.

"One morning a gentleman came in and introduced himself as the massage therapist," recalled Darlene. "I said, ‘That’s very nice but I think my husband is past that point.’ And he said, ‘Oh no, I’m here for you, Mrs. Shiley. You seem a little tense and I thought it might be helpful to you.’ I let him massage my hands and I have to tell you it was a moment of calm in this sea of angst and turmoil…it sounds simple but sometimes the beauty of something is its simplicity."

To date, Darlene has given $3 million in support of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, which has expanded to seven partner CSU campuses across the state.

"Darlene Shiley’s generous support of the Institute for Palliative Care continues to make a profound difference in our ongoing work to reshape the dialogue on palliative care in our country," said CSUSM President Karen Haynes. "As we offer continuing education courses for working professionals, academic curriculum for today’s students and programs to support palliative care awareness in the community, her support is a torch of leadership, truly making a difference."

The Center for Disease Control estimates that about half of all adults in the United States currently have one or more chronic health conditions. With these numbers expected to rise to 90 percent by 2030, there is a real crisis for palliative care-trained healthcare professionals. CSUSM and the CSU Institute for Palliative Care are on the cutting edge, working to ensure that all who can benefit from palliative care in California can access it. Already the Institute has trained more than 1,100 working professionals, 800 current students and 2,200 community members in the principles of palliative care.

"I’m thrilled to be a part of this, I really am," said Darlene. "I’m very happy with what I see and look forward to seeing even more."

Professors who work closely with the Institute say integrating curriculum from different disciplines—also known as interprofessional education—is common sense. Suzanne Moineau, a speech-language pathologist and chair of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology at CSUSM, is among them.

“Quality of life is a central element of what we’re teaching in speech-language pathology, and palliative care is all about improving quality of life in individuals with chronic illness and their families,” said Moineau. “Most health care professionals at one point or another work with people with chronic conditions, so palliative care is critical.”

Moineau has been supportive of the California State University Institute for Palliative Care since it was established at Cal State San Marcos three years ago, and she served on a planning and implementation committee that took the early lead in planning for activities specific to the CSUSM campus. The Institute is a statewide initiative to educate current and future health care professionals, as well as community members, to ensure that patients who are living with serious or chronic illness and their families have access to palliative care. The California State University Institute for Palliative Care now includes centers at seven CSU campuses.

Palliative care has been shown to extend the life of a patient, improve his or her quality of life and reduce stress on caregivers and families, and Moineau was among the faculty members from four different departments of the College of Education, Health and Human Services at CSUSM who collaborated last year with consultants from the California State University Institute for Palliative Care to pilot, the Palliative Care Interprofessional Experience for Students, an interprofessional education program with a palliative care focus. Using the framework developed by the Institute, over several months, faculty from the School of Nursing and the Departments of Kinesiology, Social Work and Speech Language Pathology developed two palliative case studies based on actual patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and traumatic brain injury.

“At the Institute we rely on faculty to work with us to integrate palliative care interdisciplinary practice into student learning” said Helen McNeal, executive director of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care. “We are grateful to the faculty and students at CSUSM for being the pioneers on this project and for being such dedicated supporters of our work, right from day one.”

Sixteen students then participated in interprofessional team activities, including a problem-based learning component and simulated patient/family interviews. CSUSM faculty and Institute consultants will discuss the project in detail during the Second Annual CSU Palliative Care Symposium scheduled for Oct. 6 and 7 in San Marcos.

Molly Abbott, who graduated from CSUSM last spring, took part in the interprofessional education project. Now she’s a speech pathologist at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla.

“My understanding of palliative care prior to the IPE project was limited,” Abbott said. “I thought palliative care was confined to hospice or end-of-life care. Taking part in the project showed me that palliative care goes far beyond that and is really about improving the quality of life for any patient with any chronic condition. It’s all about comfort care.”

An example of how palliative care works can be found at the CSUSM Speech-Language Clinic where graduate students—under the guidance and supervision of state-licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologists—are incorporating palliative care in serving people with neurological impairments to improve speech, language and cognitive skills.

Wrote one client in the clinic’s newsletter, The Wave:

“Now, in my third semester of being a client at CSUSM, I am living much more independently than before. I can now cook a meal for myself (healthier and less expensive than always eating out!), and through being aware of how I handle my divided attention, I can accomplish more things. Therefore, I can keep up with the speed of life.”

Forward Together: The Critical Need for Palliative Care

The need for palliative care is reaching critical proportions. By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be over the age of 65, and 90 percent of Americans will have at least one serious or chronic condition. Now, Cal State San Marcos is raising funds through its historic campaign to support the Institute in addressing the critical shortage of nursing, social work, spiritual and other professionals with palliative care skills and training—and to refine the model being developed locally for replication at other interested universities across California.

Sharon Hammill, a CSUSM professor of psychology who serves as faculty director for the CSUS Institute for Palliative Care at Cal State San Marcos emphasizes the case for support.

“We need to focus on educating both the current and future health care workforce so that everyone who needs palliative care will be able to get it,” she said. “By integrating palliative care into the curriculum for health care professionals, in addition to broad-based integration across the curriculum in other disciplines, we are training future doctors, nurses and social workers in palliative care practices, as well as educating consumers of health care services.”

To learn more about Forward Together: The Campaign for California State University San Marcos and how you can help solve critical issues through the CSU Institute for Palliative Care or other initiatives, visit: www.csusm.edu/forwardtogether.

The purpose of the Because I Care Community Resource Fair is to raise awareness of and garner support for individuals who provide care to individuals including children, young adults and aging adults. This year’s theme of “Fit Brains, Healthy Bodies and Happy Lives” highlights the importance of supporting healthy lifestyles for caregivers and those they support.

The fair will include educational workshops, local vendors, health screenings, flu shots, fun activities for children and a prescription drug “Take Back” box. The San Marcos Fire Department, located adjacent to the San Marcos Senior Center, will offer fire station tours, demonstrations and storytime with a firefighter.

Paul Greenwood, San Diego deputy district attorney and head of the Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit, will be the keynote speaker, providing attendees with information on the latest scams that are being used to target seniors as well as practical solutions that elders and their families can use to protect themselves. Other speakers include Hyun Gu Kang from the Cal State San Marcos Department of Kinesiology, Caroline Boaz from Sharp Healthcare, Susan Writer of Aurora Behavioral Health, Diane Beach from the website www.helpmewithmyparent.com and Carlota Durazo from Elizabeth Hospice.

This event is made possible by generous sponsors including The Elizabeth Hospice, The CSU Institute for Palliative Care, The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, BrightStar Care, North County Health Services and Live Well San Diego.

For more information, visit www.csusm.edu/psychology/carefair.html

What: Because I Care Resource Fair – a fun and educational free event for the entire family to learn about services and resources available for caregivers.

When: Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: The San Marcos Senior Center, 111 W. Richmar Ave., San Marcos, CA.

Why: To encourage healthy lifestyles for individuals of all ages as well as raise awareness of and garner support for individuals who provide care to family members of all ages.

Additional: For more information, visit: http://www.san-marcos.net/index.aspx?page=226

Led by the California State University Institute for Palliative Care, the What Gives Your Life Meaning? (WGYLM) campaign aims to raise awareness of palliative care and its role in improving the quality of life for patients with serious or chronic illness.

The 10-day event series, hosted in partnership with CSUSM faculty, includes a resource fair, art projects, a movie night and several discussions and lectures.

“It is a way to educate students and the community about palliative care, health care choices in general, and the emotional issues involved,” said Dr. Sharon Hamill, professor of psychology, who also serves as the Institute’s faculty director for the CSUSM campus. “When there is an illness in the family, it’s a family affair. It’s not just about the person who has the illness. Knowing about the resources that are available and knowing about your options is vital. It’s also important for students to be educated about palliative care because illness can strike anybody at any time.”

In Professor Catherine Armas-Matsumoto’s communication course on interviewing, for example, students have been questioning their peers about their thoughts on what gives their lives meaning. Subjects are also asked about advance directives.

“Overwhelmingly, students do not know what an advance directive is,” Armas-Matsumoto said. “When it is explained to them and when they think about it for a few minutes, they realize that maybe this is something they should look into.”

The WGYLM campaign has been months in the making.

“What the faculty at CSUSM are doing with What Gives Your Life Meaning? is creating an exciting experience that will be replicable at other campuses to engage students and the community,” said Helen B. McNeal, who serves as the Institute’s executive director. “And, as usual, CSUSM is raising the bar for how our other partner campuses can engage students and community members. They are helping the Institute achieve our mission and ensuring that everyone understands what palliative care really is and what its benefits are.”

What is Palliative Care?

Since launching in 2012, the California State University Institute for Palliative Care has had a profound impact in both the region and the nation thanks to a number of initiatives, including a series of online courses for hundreds of healthcare professionals who are helping thousands of patients lead more comfortable lives.

But if CSUSM has its way, the best has yet to come.

“We’re just getting started,” Hamill said. “We’re building a comprehensive network within the community to work collaboratively on programs that improve the quality of life, not only for patients, but for their families too.”

Palliative care is an extra layer of support for a person with a serious or chronic illness that focuses on providing patients, and their families, with relief from the symptoms and stress of that illness, improving their quality of life.

What palliative care is not is hospice care, although some palliative care patients are living with an incurable disease. Palliative care has been shown to extend the life of a patient, improve his or her quality of life, and reduce stress on caregivers and families.

The CSU Institute for Palliative Care is a statewide initiative aimed at providing education for current and future health care professionals, as well as community members, ensuring that patients and their families get the benefits of palliative care. A $750,000 grant from the California HealthCare Foundation, a gift of $450,000 from Archstone Foundation, and $1.2 million donation from San Diego philanthropist Darlene Shiley provided initial funding for the Institute that now includes centers at seven CSU campuses.

Cal State San Marcos has been the home of the Institute since its launch and is a vital partner campus. Projects that CSUSM faculty have been involved in creating include:

• Healing Through Art, a program that trains artists and others how to use art to facilitate healing and emotional expression, has been delivered at Camp Pendleton to aid Marines suffering from traumatic brain injuries.

• Inter-professional practice experience for students planning to enter careers in healthcare so that they may learn how to work collaboratively as a team while providing palliative care to patients and their families.

Upcoming Events for What Gives Your Life Meaning?:

The Public Art Project and Resource Fair

Thursday, April 23 at 11:30 a.m.

University Student Union, arcade

The Resource Fair will have 22 agencies presenting information on palliative care and healthcare choices. Topics include palliative care services, hospice, bone marrow, organ donations and more. Students can make potential connections for volunteer opportunities. In addition, colorful chalk drawings will depict responses to “What Gives Your Life Meaning?” and attendees will be encouraged to create an individual reflection on the topic for incorporation into a permanent CSUSM display.

Free Movie Night: Finding Joe

Thursday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m.

The McMahan House

In the early 20th century, while studying world mythology, Joseph Campbell discovered a pattern hidden in every story ever told and he called it “the heroes journey." A truly inspirational film, Finding Joe takes viewers on the ultimate heroes journey: the journey of self-discovery. This movie cleverly echoes the theme of the What Gives Your Life Meaning? campaign.

My Voice, My Choice

Tuesday, April 28 from noon to 12:50 p.m.

Academic Hall, room 102

Caroline Boaz, a registered nurse and School of Nursing faculty member, will demonstrate the importance of advance directives not just for the elderly but also for students. Empower yourself and take charge of your life!

For more information on the WGYLM campaign and the CSU Institute for Palliative Care, located at CSUSM, visit the Institute's webpage.

“I never could understand the approach to medicine that just looks at the one ailing body part and seeks to fix only that one thing,” she said. “The whole body is an interconnected system and I believe that the best quality of care also takes into account the psychological, social and spiritual aspects of healing.”

As an artist, author and designer, Westreich understands the healing power that art and music can play in restoring wellness or improving quality of life, even when a cure is no longer possible. And now through a generous $170,000 gift to the California State University Institute for Palliative Care, located at Cal State San Marcos, she is helping to enhance healing and improve quality of life for more individuals and their families.

“By 2020, 55 million Baby Boomers will be living with one or more chronic conditions in the United States,” said Westreich. “And as the population ages, people are living longer—often with debilitating pain and other symptoms. Palliative care strives to ensure quality of life for all individuals with serious or chronic illness, no matter the circumstances.”

A portion of Westreich’s gift supported the development of in-person and online “Healing through the Arts” training workshops. At these workshops participants learn how to help their patients express themselves through art, enabling them to release painful or unresolved emotions caused by difficult life events, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, trauma or illness.

“Healing through art is different from art therapy because it doesn’t require the assistance of a licensed therapist,” she said. “The healing takes place through the process itself of self-expression and doing something creative—painting, journaling, collaging or drawing. It’s healing by doing.”

This summer, with Westreich’s support, the Institute also will launch an in-person and self-directed online aromatherapy course. Essential oils used in aromatherapy can decrease anxiety, promote relaxation, reduce nausea and lower physical discomfort in patients with chronic pain and/or debilitating injuries.

“Ruth’s generous gift is enabling the Institute to play an increasingly significant role in developing new programs, training new students and expanding access to integrative medicine expertise within the world of palliative care,” said CSU Institute for Palliative Care Director Helen McNeal. “Ruth is a wonderful partner, and we appreciate her spirit of partnership and collaboration.”

Join Ruth Westreich in supporting the CSU Institute for Palliative Care. Call University Advancement at 760.750.4400 or visit www.csusm.edu/giving