CSU Campus Partners
Collaborating Across the CSU System
The Institute’s Campus Partner model brings together CSU faculty and campuses with a shared interest in advancing palliative care education, research, and collaboration. The model is designed to foster connection across the CSU while allowing partnerships to reflect the unique interests, strengths, and priorities of each campus. Through these relationships, the Institute seeks to support and elevate work happening across the system, create opportunities for collaboration and shared learning, and strengthen a broader CSU community committed to improving serious illness care.
CSU Fresno
The mission of The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at Fresno State is to increase palliative care awareness through education and related activities among faculty, staff, and students. The ‘What Gives Your Life Meaning’ student health and resource fair, draws over 300 students, introducing them to advanced health care directives and providing caregiving resources.
Fresno State is in the San Joaquin Valley. The Engaged University supports community-based projects to improve the quality of life in the region. The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at Fresno State is engaged in awareness programs to support caregiving students.
Helen Miltiades, PhD
Faculty Director
CSU Northridge
Our Faculty Learning Community encourages CSUN faculty to include palliative care education in their courses. In collaboration with the Nursing Department, we implemented a four-semester structured pathway for 10 prelicensure nursing students who express a specific interest in palliative and hospice care. The program will provide progressive training, experiential learning, and opportunities for scholarly dissemination, thereby preparing graduates to lead in this vital area of nursing practice. We also organize various events on campus, such as a Death Café: What Gives Your Life Meaning event and a Pathfinders event to promote awareness of resources for students with serious illnesses and/or who care for family members/spouses with serious illnesses.
Rika Meyer, PhD
Faculty Director
CSU Monterey Bay
Cal State Monterey Bay is a public university in Seaside, California, along the state’s northern Central Coast. The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at CSUMB is engaged in research, education, and awareness programs aimed at expanding access to high-quality palliative care in the surrounding communities.
Alyssa Erikson is part of the planning committee for Jerry’s Place, a social model hospice home. Their comfortable home-like environment is intended for individuals, enrolled in a hospice program, to live out their final days, specifically when they do not have a safe and stable living situation or caregiver.
Alyssa Erikson, PhD
Faculty Director
CSU San Jose
We are at a remarkable time globally. Our partnership with CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care is a wonderful opportunity for SJSU to promote palliative care within our existing Interprofessional Care curricula that provide our undergraduate students, graduate students, staff and faculty with competency-based education on how to work with interprofessional health and behavioral health care teams in addressing the needs of patients and clients. This partnership allows us to integrate palliative care into our IP curricula and programs, enabling us to better address chronic pain, end -of-life issues, patient rights, family concerns, and delve deeper into what makes a quality life and the role of health and behavioral services in contributing to that quality of life and the individual’s wishes.
San Jose State University in San Jose, California, is one of the West’s top public universities. Nestled within Silicon Valley, San Jose State University is in the center of innovation in technology, healthcare, and research. We proudly serve diverse students from varied backgrounds and strive to provide rigorous academics and effective guidance and support. Our campus is located near world-renowned medical facilities. We are excited to become a partner of the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care this coming Fall 2025. Our College of Health and Human Sciences is home to Audiology; Public Health and Recreation; Kinesiology; School of Nursing; Nutrition, Food Science and Packaging; Occupational Therapy; School of Social Work. Our other colleges offer Communication Disorders and Sciences, Counseling, Child and Adolescent Development, and Psychology. Each of these disciplines will be enriched through our partnership with CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care as we create research opportunities, educational programs, events, and teaching materials to increase awareness and understanding of palliative care.
Nicole Dubus, PhD
Faculty Director
CSU San Marcos
CSUSM offers a range of programs on and off campus to promote palliative care in our region and enhance the education of current and future palliative care providers. Our annual conference for palliative care professionals provides continuing education and networking opportunities for those working in our region. We offer a monthly POLST Training Webinar for students and in-service professionals seeking to gain confidence in advance care and POLST planning. Our free online Caregiver Support course builds self-care skills for family caregivers. We partner with The Elizabeth Hospice and the CSUSM Center for Contemplative Practices to offer monthly in-person workshops focused on mindfulness and resiliency training for family caregivers supporting hospice patients.
CSUSM values innovation and community engagement. The CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care at CSUSM embodies these values through partnerships with local nonprofits, hospices, and health care agencies invested in the future of palliative care in our region. We promote palliative care teaching, learning and research on the CSUSM campus and provide community education throughout our service region.
Our “What Gives Your Life Meaning?” campaign encourages participants to think about quality of life and complete advance directives reflecting chosen goals of care.
Michael Mcduffie, PhD
Faculty Director
CSU Sonoma
The Faculty Learning Community brings together five dedicated faculty members from four diverse disciplines—Nursing, Business, Sociology, and Hutchins Liberal Arts—to collaborate on impactful, interdisciplinary initiatives. This vibrant team is actively engaged in projects that enhance student experiences and community engagement, including curriculum development and implementation, mental health support for students, mapping community resources for palliative care, and strategic event planning. Their collaborative efforts demonstrate a commitment to innovation, student well-being, and meaningful community impact.
Events
As part of its ongoing efforts to foster dialogue and community engagement around end-of-life care and support, the Faculty Learning Community hosted two impactful events. On November 1, 2024, the “Death Cafe” welcomed 15 participants from across the campus community, including faculty, staff, and students, for an open, respectful conversation on death and dying. Looking ahead, the community is organizing a special event titled “Who Cares? On Giving and Receiving Care”, scheduled for April 23, 2025, as part of the WGYLM initiative. This event will feature distinguished speakers including Redwing Keyssar; Dr. Doug Wilson, Palliative Care MD; Denise Turner, Palliative Care Chaplain; and Tess Abts, Hospice and Palliative Care LCSW. These gatherings reflect the community’s commitment to compassionate care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and meaningful dialogue.
Co-Directors:
Krista Altaker, RN, MSN, PhD
Faculty Director
Adele Santana, PhD
Faculty Director
