“From a young age, I helped my family assimilate into our new environment, filling in gaps wherever I was needed as a first-generation Mexican American.” said Chambers, now a Master of Social Work (MSW) student at Cal State San Marcos. “I became their translator, doctor, lawyer and social worker. These experiences shaped why I want to do this work.”

She carried that sense of purpose into every role she has served – including preschool teacher, nanny and YMCA educator – and she saw firsthand how communication gaps between parents and schools can affect a child’s success. 

“That made me want to be part of the solution,” she said. “I want to help families and children feel supported.”

Now in graduate school – something that once felt out of reach as the first in her family to attend college – Chambers recently took part in an innovative Interprofessional Education (IPE) event hosted by the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, which is part of a larger palliative care initiative funded by the Hearst Foundations.

Palliative care brings together a team of health professionals to provide holistic treatment for individuals with serious illnesses. IPE focuses on training students to work together in this collaborative model.

Designed by CSUSM faculty from multiple disciplines, CSUSM’s IPE program places students from nursing, kinesiology, speech-language pathology and social work together to analyze a case study and develop a comprehensive plan of care. The goal is to help students think collaboratively while gaining an authentic understanding of what teamwork looks like in real clinical settings.

“Graduate school can feel siloed since we focus on our own programs,” Chambers said. “This event brings students from multiple disciplines together under one roof to learn from each other and realize how much stronger we are when we collaborate.”

In this year’s exercise, Chambers’ team worked on a family-centered case study involving a medically complex 8-year-old boy living with his grandparents. 

“These cases remind us that families don’t exist in isolation,” she said. “When a child is struggling, it’s not just on the grandparents or the teacher. There’s a whole network of people who can help. Our job is to strengthen that network.”

“Students will be expected to collaborate with other professions when they enter practice,” said Katie Robinson, assistant professor of nursing. “But as with every other practice competency, we have to teach them why, show them how and guide them through practicing it themselves. And now that we've worked out such an effective IPE model, it's exciting to think about expanding across the campus – and beyond.”

Since spring 2023, the institute has hosted five immersive IPE days, with participation now reaching 150–200 students across the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

“Alumni from previous events have shared how this event helped shape their transition into the workforce,” said Lorene Ibbestson, a social work lecturer. “It gave them confidence in their professional abilities and a deeper appreciation for how collaboration across disciplines can create meaningful change.”

Now, thanks to a generous $200,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations, CSUSM’s IPE program will continue to grow, with plans to:

• launch a new IPE event in spring 2026 focused on health policy, including students from psychology, sociology and political science;
• build a similar IPE model at Fresno State and ultimately other CSU campuses;
• explore cross-campus collaborations with UC San Diego medical students and Clinical Pastoral Education programs.

For students like Chambers, these simulated experiences are invaluable in helping them prepare for meaningful careers.  

For CSUSM, the Hearst Foundations’ generous support not only strengthens IPE but also moves the university closer to its “Blueprint for the Future” campaign goal to raise $200 million in philanthropy and research funding.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist

bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306

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.