About the Institute

Advancing Compassionate Care Through Education, Research and Innovation

The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care is a systemwide initiative of the California State University (CSU), housed on the campus of CSU San Marcos.

The Institute is dedicated to preparing the current and future healthcare workforce to meet the complex needs of people living with serious illness and those who love and care for them.

We are advocates for palliative care and driven by the belief that the principles and competencies at the heart of palliative care have the power to transform healthcare for all.

Jessica Empeño, MSW, APHSW-C

Executive Director

Jessica Empeño, MSW, APHSW-C is a healthcare and nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing serious illness care, dementia services, and community health initiatives. Drawing on her foundation as a medical social worker, Jessica brings a person-centered and interdisciplinary perspective to advancing serious illness education, policy, and systems change. Jessica holds a Master of Social Work degree from San Diego State University, along with graduate certificates in Population Health Management from UC San Francisco, and Health Law and Policy from University of Arizona. She is also credentialed as an Advanced Palliative Hospice Social Worker (APHSW-C).

Mckenzie Blake, MA

Associate Director of Education Programs

Mckenzie holds a Master’s degree in Psychological Sciences, with expertise in research methods, statistics, and teaching. Her research focuses on close relationships, social support, and adjustment during emerging adulthood. As Associate Director of Educational Programs at the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care, Mckenzie leads and supports educational programs, campus partnerships, grant-funded initiatives, and the Institute’s annual National Symposium. Her work focuses on expanding palliative care education, strengthening cross-campus collaboration, and developing sustainable educational opportunities across the CSU.

Cynthia Runge

Business Operations Analyst

Cynthia joined the Institute in April of 2023 and is a CA native. She has been in an office administration role for the past 30+ years. Cynthia enjoys spending time with her family and friends, walking, yoga, swimming, choral singing, and partaking in a dining experience at least a couple times a week – yum!

Roberta Achtenberg, JD

Trustee Emeritus and past Chair of the California State University Board of Trustees

• Roberta Achtenberg, JD Bio
  Roberta Achtenberg, JD, has more than 30 years of senior-level leadership experience in business, government, and law. She serves on private and public-sector boards and as a corporate advisor in public policy. She is a former Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Trustee Emeritus and past Chair of the California State University Board of Trustees, and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Bank of San Francisco. She also served in the Clinton Administration—first as Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and later as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). She headed the HUD Agency Review Team for the Obama Transition and is a former member of the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a JD from the University of Utah College of Law.

Patricia F. Appelhans, JD

CEO of the Association of Professional Chaplains

• Patricia F. Appelhans, JD Bio
  Patricia F. Appelhans, JD, is the CEO of the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) and works closely with APC’s leadership teams, pastoral cognate groups, and other organizational leaders in allied health and human services organizations. Previously, she was director at Smith Bucklin Corporation, one of the leading association management companies in the United States, where she served as an Executive Director to multiple not-for-profit organizations. Over her 35 years as a nonprofit professional, she has worked with trade, professional, and service organizations. She is also a licensed attorney and has served as counsel for several not-for-profits. She is an active member of volunteer groups such as Association Forum, where she served as Chair of the Board, and she was previously awarded the John C. Thiel Distinguished Service Award. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois Chicago and her JD from Northern Illinois University.

Jennifer Moore Ballentine, MA

Chief Executive Officer, Coalition for Compassionate Care of California

• Jennifer Moore Ballentine, MA Bio
  Jennifer Moore Ballentine, MA, has more than 25 years’ experience in hospice & palliative care education and policy, program design and evaluation, and nonprofit leadership. As CEO of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, she leads a team dedicated to improving care for people with serious illness and those who care for them. CCCC is California’s go-to organization for information, advocacy, and education on advance care planning, palliative care, and the POLST program. Jennifer’s previous positions include Executive Director of CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care; Vice President, Hospice Analytics; Executive Director, Life Quality Institute; and Director of Professional Programs, Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care. She participates in statewide and national initiatives and committees, including the National Alliance for Care at Home Emerging Models and Care Innovations Work Group and Palliative Care and Caregiver Supports Council; Patient Quality of Life Coalition; NCHPC Public Policy Work Group; and California Department of Aging’s Elder and Disability Coordinating Council, among others. She is a widely published author (peer-reviewed and trade publications) and in-demand speaker. She earned an MA in End-of-Life Studies, with graduate honors, from Regis University, Denver; a Professional Advancement Certificate in Gerontology from University of Colorado–Colorado Springs; and a BA, Phi Beta Kappa, from Oberlin College. 

Rory B. Farrand, MA, MS, MSN, APRN-BC

Vice President, Palliative and Advanced Care National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

• Rory B. Farrand, MA, MS, MSN, APRN-BC Bio
  Rory Farrand is responsible for strategic and operational direction of all program initiatives related to palliative care for NHPCO; ensures the development and implementation of premier resources for providers and other organizations that offer community-based palliative care services and/or education; provides expertise, guidance, and support to internal and external stakeholders around the delivery and financing of palliative care programs and how it influences NHPCO quality, education, philanthropy, policy, and innovation activities; serves as a thought leader in the hospice and palliative care community by representing NHPCO at key conferences and in the media. She has previously held positions with VITAS Healthcare, Pennsylvania Health and Wellness, Matrix Medical Network, and the Center for Pain Relief/Butler Memorial Hospital, among others. Rory earned degrees from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Washington State University, Lesley University, and Boston College.

Jean Picker Firstenberg

Trustee, The California State University Board of Trustees

• Jean Picker Firstenberg Bio
  Jean Picker Firstenberg is a member of The California State University Board of Trustees (2016–2026). She retired as President and CEO of the American Film Institute (AFI) in late 2007 after serving for 28 years. Upon her retirement from AFI, she was honored with an AFI Life Achievement Award for service to the Institute and was named President Emerita and a Lifetime Trustee. Before AFI, she spent four years as a program officer at the John and Mary R. Markle Foundation in New York City. She also served as Director of Princeton University’s Publications Office. Among the numerous boards she has served on are the University of Georgia Peabody Awards Committee, the U.S. Postmaster General Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, and the Executive Committee of the Women’s Sports Foundation. Firstenberg is a summa cum laude graduate of Boston University’s College of Communications and served on Boston University’s Board of Trustees for 12 years.

Judith Redwing Keyssar, RN, BA

Director of Patient and Caregiver Education at the Center for Education in Palliative Care at UCSF

• Judith Redwing Keyssar, RN, BA Bio
  Judith Redwing Keyssar, RN, BA, is the Director of Patient and Caregiver Education at the Center for Education in Palliative Care at UCSF. As a “midwife to the dying,” she draws upon 25+ years of nursing experience in oncology, critical care, and hospice care. She presents nationally on palliative care and end-of-life issues and is the author of the award-winning book, Last Acts of Kindness: Lessons for the Living from the Bedsides of the Dying. She was the recipient of the 2015 Compassionate Care Individual Leadership Award from the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, the 2015 UCSF Ernest J. Rosenbaum Commitment to Patient Care Award, and the 2019 Humanities Award from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Margherita C. Labson, BSN, MS-HAS

Founder and former Executive Director, Home Care Program, Joint Commission

• Margherita C. Labson, BSN, MS-HAS Bio
  Margherita C. Labson, BSN, MS-HAS, is a veteran healthcare professional and registered nurse, who has specialized in the provision of healthcare services in the home since 1977 from multi-operational and academic perspectives. She is an experienced lecturer and educator as well as a published author. In 2020, she concluded her career with the Joint Commission after serving 25 years first as a representative in the surveyor cadre and then 14 years as the Executive Director of the Home Care Program. She has continually served as a member of various expert technical review panels, advisory, and steering committees for the Home Health Quality Initiative(HHQI), the Center for Home Care Policy and Research of the VNSNY, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation(AAMI), and others.

Michael W. Rabow MD, FAAHPM

Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the University of California, San Francisco

• Michael W. Rabow MD, FAAHPM Bio
  Michael W. Rabow, MD, FAAHPM, is a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine, the Department of Medicine, at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Board-certified in internal medicine and hospice and palliative care, he directs a leading outpatient palliative care consultation program—the Symptom Management Service—at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is a national expert in outpatient palliative care research and service delivery. He also serves as a consultant to U.S. hospitals and hospital systems working to develop or expand their palliative care services and is a consultant to numerous prominent professional or philanthropic organizations dedicated to expanding outpatient palliative care access and quality. He serves as the lead of the project advisory board for the “Improving Palliative Care in the Outpatient Setting” (IPAL-OP) initiative at the Center to Advance Palliative Care. He is a past recipient of the Soros Project on Death in America Award and the Hastings Center Cunniff-Dixon Physician Award.

Monique Reese, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, ACHPN

Senior Vice President, Home and Community Care, for Highmark Health

• Monique Reese, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, ACHPN Bio
  Monique Reese, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C, ACHPN, is Senior Vice President, Home and Community Care, for Highmark Health, a diversified health and wellness enterprise located in Pittsburgh, PA, that serves an estimated 35 million people nationwide. She is a progressive healthcare executive with expertise leading innovative design and transformation to an interdisciplinary care platform focusing on population health. She is a nurse practitioner with triple board certification in family practice, hospice, and palliative care, and has a certificate in chronic care leadership. Her nursing background includes experience in community health, school nursing, post-secondary education, medical-surgical, orthopedics, and palliative care. She has an associate’s degree in Nursing from Des Moines Area Community College and a master’s degree in Nursing and a doctorate of Nursing Practice from the University of Iowa.

Karl Steinberg, MD

Medical Director for Mariner Health Central, Carlsbad by the Sea Care Center, Hospice by the Sea, and Life Care Center of Vista

• Karl Steinberg, MD Bio
  Karl Steinberg, MD, serves as Medical Director for Mariner Health Central, Carlsbad by the Sea Care Center, Hospice by the Sea, and Life Care Center of Vista. A self-described “SNF-ologist,” Dr. Steinberg has been a medical director for skilled nursing facilities, continuing care retirement centers, and hospice agencies in the San Diego area for over 20 years. He has served as an active member, committee chair, officer, and board member for a number of professional organizations, including AMDA, AMA, AAHPM, American Geriatrics Society, National POLST Advisory Task Force, National Quality Forum, California Medical Association, California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine, Coalition for Compassionate Care of California, and others. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Harvard College, an MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and he completed his family medicine residency at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Medical Center. He is board-certified in Family Medicine and in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.