Featured Speakers
Shelley Henry, R.N., CPHRM, CHPN, has more than 22 years of experience in the nursing field. She is the owner and president of The Amity Group, a hospice staffing firm providing tailored solutions to meet the unique needs of hospice organizations. Shelley is committed to enhancing the quality of end-of-life care and is recognized as an authority in all the nuances of hospice care. She has written two seminal works on hospice documentation and is an innovative product developer, spearheading the creation of essential tools and resources designed to optimize hospice care delivery. As a dedicated hospice educator, Shelley has created the Hospice Nurse Your Opinion Matters Survey, a pioneering initiative aimed at amplifying the voices of hospice clinicians and driving positive change within the industry. Shelley advocates for hospice nurses and the field of hospice nursing, inspiring others to uphold the highest standards of care for those nearing life’s end.
Christopher Kerr, M.D., Ph.D., is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Executive Officer at Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo. Dr. Kerr is a neurobiologist and palliative care specialist who advocates for incorporating this care throughout the continuum of illness. Hospice Buffalo serves 1,200 patients a day under Dr. Kerr’s leadership, the majority of whom receive services upstream of hospice care. Dr. Kerr’s research has evolved from bench science to the human experience of illness as witnessed from the bedside, specifically patient’s subjective experiences at the end of life. The Hospice Buffalo research team has documented more than 1,500 end-of-life events and published multiple studies on the topic. Dr. Kerr’s TEDx Talk on the subject has been viewed more than 5.3 million times and recounted in The BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic Monthly, Scientific American Mind, Huffington Post, NY Times Magazine and Psychology Today. His work is also featured in a recent Netflix docu-series called Surviving Death and a PBS documentary called Death Is But A Dream based on his book by the same title.
Karen Monts, M.S., L.B.S.W., brings more than 34 years of expertise in end-of-life and grief support care. As Associate Vice President of Grief Support Services at Northstar Care Community, she leads the organization’s grief support programs while shaping practice, policy, and education for spiritual care and social work teams. Karen developed a bereavement risk assessment tool for clinicians to evaluate grief risk. She has served on several national boards, produced a public television program on family grief, and is a Trauma and Loss specialist. Karen holds an M.S. in psychology from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and is a Licensed Bachelor Social Worker.
Sue Bourne is a Scottish television documentary producer and director. She founded the small, independent production company Wellpark Productions, which has produced 15 films. Award winning and hugely popular with audiences, Bourne’s style of documentary-making is enjoyed by international audiences. The 15-plus films Sue has produced in the past ten years capture the essence of life in contemporary society. Bourne’s thoughtful perspective finds the extraordinary in the apparently ordinary and brings her vision to a rich variety of subjects. She is the executive producer of the harrowing documentary Falling Man, which tells the story of people who jumped to their deaths from the Twin Towers. It was nominated for an international Emmy, BAFTA, RTS and Broadcast Award. Sue brings to the Caring Coalition her documentary titled A Time To Live: Living With Terminal Illness.
Jason Schechterle is a retired Phoenix police officer and military veteran. At age 26 and just 14 months into his law enforcement career, tragedy struck when a taxi rear-ended Jason’s patrol car causing it to explode in flames. Trapped inside, Jason survived despite severe burns covering 40 percent of his body. Jason has undergone more than 50 surgeries to reclaim basic functions. His story of survival exemplifies his resilience and the strength of the human spirit. Through love and unwavering support from his wife, Jason has transformed his life to help others find hope and rebirth in the power of perseverance.
