Personal y Junta Directiva

Somos enfermeras, médicas y auxiliares de cuidados paliativos. Somos trabajadoras sociales y capellanas. Somos contadoras y recaudadoras de fondos. Juntos trabajamos para brindar cuidados paliativos compasivos y apoyar a los miembros de nuestra comunidad en duelo.

Equipos de liderazgo ejecutivo y sénior

Karen Brubaker Miller, MSW has an extensive work history in the hospice and palliative care industry. Prior to joining Montgomery Hospice, Inc., she served as the Chief Operating Officer at Good Samaritan Hospice, Inc. Before joining Good Samaritan Hospice, Inc., Karen worked as the Chief Executive Officer at Star Transportation and Golden Isles Palliative Care, Inc. Karen also served as the Chief Executive Officer at Hospice of the Golden Isles, where she oversaw the operations of a non-profit community hospice. Additionally, Karen has held various leadership roles at the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, including President of the Board of Directors and Vice President. Karen began her career as a Hospice Consultant and later worked at United Hospice in roles such as Regional Director, Director of Professional Services, and Administrator. Karen also has experience as a Social Worker at the VA Medical Center.

Karen Brubaker Miller holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Davidson College, which she obtained from 1987 to 1991. Karen subsequently pursued a Master of Social Work degree in Clinical/Medical Social Work from Florida State University between 1991 and 1993. Additionally, she spent the academic year 1989-1990 at the University of St Andrews, where she engaged in studies focused on Theology, Psychology, and Russian History as part of her Junior Year Abroad program. Karen has also obtained certifications as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker from both the Virginia Board of Social Work in 2021 and the Georgia Secretary of State Licensing Board in 1996. Karen Brubaker Miller has an additional certification as an Advanced Hospice Certified Executive from the National Association of Home Care & Hospice.

Darlene Strickland is a dedicated healthcare leader with a lifelong passion for patient care. A native of Savannah, GA, she has spent her entire career as a registered nurse serving patients with compassion and expertise. With a diverse background spanning pediatrics, psychiatric care, and hospice, she brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep understanding of the complexities of healthcare.

Darlene holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, equipping her with a unique perspective on both the medical and emotional aspects of patient and family care. She served many years as a Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN), demonstrating her commitment to excellence in end-of-life care.

Her leadership journey began early in her career, and she has since played a vital role in advancing hospice services. During her time as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Clinical Officer for Hospice of the Golden Isles, a 5-star hospice center, Darlene ensured the highest standards of care, overseeing clinical operations and strategic initiatives that enhance the patient and family experience.

Now serving as the Chief Operating Officer for Montgomery Hospice, Inc. Darlene continues her commitment to stewardship and innovation, driving operational excellence and enhancing end-of-life care services. Through collaboration with healthcare professionals, caregivers, and the community, she fosters a culture of compassion and excellence, ensuring that patients and their families receive the highest level of support during life’s most challenging moments.

Scott Thelen is an experienced Chief Financial Officer with over 30 years of working in the senior healthcare which includes large scale CCRCs, skilled nursing, assisted living, home health and hospice.

He has experience in large, national, not for profit companies as well as smaller privately held companies. Scott received his B.S in Business Administration (Accounting) from University of Baltimore.

Scott has extensive experience with strategic planning, IT, HR, finance, risk management, and treasury functions.

Dr. Ann Lichtenstein received her Doctorate of Osteopathic Medicine from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York. She completed her Internship at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Motivated by her passion for movement and exercise she specialized in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation during her Residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, New York. Her interest in pain and symptom management led her to a Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Lichtenstein has contributed several chapters to textbooks on Rehabilitation and Palliative Medicine and also has published a number of research articles. She continues to be involved in medical training with Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellows from NIH and Children’s Hospital Center. She is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and board eligible in Hospice & Palliative Medicine.

Marlene Bradford has nearly 30 years of experience raising funds for healthcare and education nonprofit organizations in the Washington metropolitan area. She has a proven track record in the management of fundraising programs, including major gift stewardship and solicitation, corporate sponsorships, event planning, grant writing, and board development. In her role, she is also responsible for the communications and the education and outreach initiatives of the organization. In addition, Marlene oversees the organization’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

Marlene is a graduate of the University of Toledo, Leadership Montgomery’s CORE Class (2018), and Racial Equity Action Leadership Inclusion Program (2020). She is also a member of the Development Committee at Generation Hope.

Perry Limes serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Montgomery Hospice and Prince Georges Hospice. He began his 30 year healthcare career as a respiratory therapist in the United Stated Army. After a decade of direct patient care, he transitioned into healthcare operations and business development. Over the past 20 years, Perry has served in various business development leadership positions within the continuum of care to include acute care, skilled nursing, hospice and long term acute care. A native New Yorker, he received both his B.S., Summa Cum Laude in Health Services and his M.S. in Healthcare Management from Touro University International.

With over a decade of nursing experience across pediatrics, critical care, and hospice, Monica
Hastings, BSN, RN, CHPN, has built a career rooted in compassion, clinical excellence, and transformational leadership.

Her hospice background includes roles as an Admission RN, Inpatient Care RN, Home Hospice RN Case Manager, Clinical Manager, and Hospice Executive. In each chapter of her career, she has remained devoted to not just clinical outcomes, but the human stories behind them.

For Monica, the greatest honor is helping families craft a peaceful, dignified, and love-filled final
chapter—a gentle death that reflects and celebrates a life well lived.

A Summa Cum Lade graduate of Stevenson University’s Nursing Program, Monica brings both
strategic vision and soulful presence to every role she holds, always guided by the belief that
how we care for others—especially at life’s end—writes a story that matters.

Katarina Fancovic joined Montgomery Hospice, Inc. in 2018 and has over 15 years of HR leadership experience. In her current role as Senior Director of Human Resources, Katarina oversees the strategic development and implementation of HR initiatives that support organizational growth and foster a positive workplace culture.

Katarina is a graduate of University of Maryland Global Campus, a SHRM-CP professional, and completed the Racial Equity Action Leadership Inclusion Program (2020) through Leadership Montgomery.

Nina Richards is a highly experienced and detail-oriented Executive Assistant and Board Liaison, bringing over 20 years of expertise in supporting C-suite executives and board members within the fast-paced healthcare industry. As the direct liaison to the President & CEO, Nina serves as the primary point of contact for all matters related to the Office of the President and the Montgomery Hospice Board of Directors.

With a strong background in administrative management, governance, volunteer leadership, philanthropic initiatives, and project management, Nina ensures seamless coordination and execution of strategic initiatives. She thrives in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments and is recognized for her strategic thinking and creative problem-solving skills.

Nina is a Certified Governance Consultant and an active member of Board Source and the American Society of Association Executives, further demonstrating her commitment to excellence in governance and leadership.

QAPI & Education

Tedra Grant is a registered nurse with over 13 years of nursing experience and a 16-year background in the pharmaceutical industry, giving her a uniquely comprehensive clinical, and operational perspective. Her nursing career spans home health, hospice, palliative care, and healthcare education, where she has held diverse leadership roles including Clinical Manager, Case Manager, Lead RN, and Field Educator.

She recently served as the Associate Director of Learning and Development at Hospice of New York, where she played a pivotal role in staff education, professional growth, and strategic leadership. She oversaw and executed orientation, skills training, and CHPN exam preparation. She also collaborated cross-functionally to improve clinical processes, address regulatory compliance, and implement performance-based education strategies.

Tedra is deeply committed to elevating standards in hospice and palliative care through mentorship, continuous learning, and evidence-based practice. Her passion for staff empowerment and patient-centered care continues to drive impactful change across the organizations she serves.

Médicos

Montgomery Kids Physician

Dr. Aziz, who is board certified in pediatrics, medical management, and hospice and palliative medicine, has talked to patients and their caregivers about end-of-life decisions over a thousand times in the last twenty years. After graduating from King Edward Medical College in Lahore, Pakistan, he trained in pediatrics at the University of Maryland, Saint Agnes, and Mercy hospitals. He has been on the clinical faculty of the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins, along with multiple local hospitals in the Baltimore metropolitan area. He served as Assistant Chair of Pediatrics at Saint Agnes hospital, then Chair of Pediatrics and the Ethics Committee, as well as the VPMA at Medstar Harbor Hospital, all in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Aziz was instrumental in helping start the pediatric hospice services at Hospice of Chesapeake in Maryland and the Palliative Care Program at Laurel Regional Hospital in Maryland. He continues to chair multiple ethics committees, as well as serve on hospice/palliative care teams at local hospitals and at Montgomery Hospice in Rockville, Maryland, helping take care of children and adults. He is also actively involved in the education of the public and medical personnel.

Casey House Physician

Dr. Ghosh has worked at Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice since 2018. She finished her residency in Internal Medicine at Washington Hospital Center, and her fellowship in Palliative Care and Hospice at the National Institutes of Health. She has experience with both palliative care and end-of-life hospice patients.

Dr. Alexandria Hoy is board certified in Internal Medicine and board eligible in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She completed her fellowship at the National Institutes of Health, training in diverse settings including the NIH Clinical Center, Holy Cross hospitals and Children’s National.

Drawn to the field for its person-centered approach—treating the patient and family as a unit—Dr. Hoy brings a strong commitment to whole-person care. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership, where she was a peer coach for resident wellness. At NIH, she continued this focus as part of the wellness subcommittee, promoting community and personal health among trainees.

She is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Casey House Physician

Dr. Joseph received her medical degree from JSS Medical College in Karnataka, India. She did her residency in family practice at The Toledo Hospital, Toledo Ohio. Dr. Joseph did a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship in George Washington University, Washington DC. Her work experience includes working as a geriatrician at Ascension Providence, Washington DC, since 2004, as medical director at Center for Geriatric Medicine and Carroll Manor Nursing Home and Rehabilitation at Washington DC, and as a Montgomery Hospice inpatient physician. She is an assistant professor at George Washington Medical School. Dr. Joseph is Board Certified in Family Practice, Geriatric Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Care, and Wound Care. She has been listed as a Washingtonian Top Doctor in 2016 and 2017 and describes herself as “passionate about geriatric and palliative care.”

Team Physician

Dr. Angela Lipshutz received her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine and master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. She completed an internship in Internal Medicine at Stanford University, followed by residency in Anesthesiology and fellowship in Critical Care Medicine at UCSF. She spent several years on the faculty at UCSF as an anesthesiologist and intensivist, during which she developed a passion for symptom management, end of life care, and patient and family engagement. To develop further expertise in these areas, Dr. Lipshutz completed a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. She maintains an affiliation with the Pain and Palliative Care Service at the NIH, where she focuses on quality improvement, medical simulation, and trainee wellbeing. Dr. Lipshutz is board certified in Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Casey House Physician

Dr. Kathleen McCabe attended Barnard College in New York City and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia. She completed an Internal Medicine internship at Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, New York and a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Mount Sinai in New York City. She then completed a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at George Washington University. During that time she developed a passion for in-patient hospice and was pleased to have the opportunity to join the team at Casey House. Dr. McCabe is board eligible in Hospice & Palliative Medicine.

Dr. West earned her medical degree from St. Christopher’s College of Medicine in Luton in the United Kingdom. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Dr. West previously served as the Associate Chief Medical Officer and Senior VP of Clinical Operations for Capital Caring Health, in Falls Church, Virginia. In this role, she was responsible for the daily oversight and management of the medical and clinical staff across Capital Caring’s Maryland, DC, and Virginia programs.

When she first joined Capital Caring Health, Dr. West served as a Medical Director overseeing the administration and clinical operations of Capital Caring Health’s inpatient hospice units. Prior to joining Capital Caring, Dr. West served as Medical Director for Seasons Hospice (now AccentCare) in Maryland. Before that, she worked as an inpatient hospitalist and medical faculty member, as well as an outpatient primary care physician.

 

Psiquiatras consultores

Dr. Martin attended Oberlin College (BA Biology) and Georgetown University School of Medicine. Her residency in Psychiatry was completed there, as well. She has been certified by the joint Board of Psychiatry and Neurology as a psychiatrist since 1983. She went on to complete training in psychoanalysis and she has been in the practice of general psychiatry in this area for the last thirty-plus years. Drawn to the intersection of Psychiatry and Medicine, she has always had a special interest in working with people living with chronic medical illnesses, as well as an abiding interest in hospice and end-of-life care.

Enfermeras practicantes

Yiesak Asfaw is a DNP, APRN, and Board -Certified Family Nurse Practitioner. He completed his Doctor of Nurse Practice Degree at Grand Canyon University Phoenix, Arizona. Before his doctoral degree, he earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a postmaster Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner from Bowie State University. As a family nurse practitioner, he held a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner (AANP). He also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of District of Columbia, Washington, D.C.

After earning a postmaster Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner, he worked for almost eight years as a provider in various settings – including as a primary care provider, urgent care, long-term care, rehabilitation, and currently at Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice as part of the medical team. He enjoyed 15 years fulfilling years of nursing experience, including in the Emergency Department, trauma, infection disease, and medical-surgical care.

His experience as a bedside critical care nurse and becoming advanced practice helped him to utilize evidence-based practice guidelines that have shaped his approach to work and providing patient and family centered advanced practice care.

NP Denton obtained her Family Nurse Practitioner degree from Georgetown University. She has extensive experience in hospice, primary care, and hematology-oncology. She grew up in Poland. Her culturally and ethnically diverse background allows her to relate effectively to the diverse population in the metropolitan Washington DC area. Her compassionate, open-minded, and enthusiastic approach to patient care helps her develop long lasting and trusting relationships with her patients and their families.

Meghan earned her BSN from Villanova University and her MSN from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an ANCC board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and has experience caring for patients of all ages. Meghan joined the Montgomery Hospice, Inc. team in 2019 recognizing the privilege to meet and support patients, young and old, and their families, alongside an interdisciplinary team, at end of life. She lives in Montgomery County, down the street from her parents and childhood home, with her husband, three children, and puppy. She enjoys spending time outdoors with family and friends, running, and reading.

Jennifer Jordan, MS, FNP-BC received her Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in nursing from University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University respectively and is an ANCC board-certified family nurse practitioner. She additionally has a BA in physics and environmental sciences from University of California, Berkeley and in an earlier career worked as a climate change and environmental researcher. Ms. Jordan has served as a nurse practitioner at Montgomery Hospice since 2011. Prior to joining hospice, Ms. Jordan worked alongside a family practice physician for a decade seeing both adult and pediatric patients. As an RN, she worked in the late 1990s at Georgetown University Hospital and George Washington University Hospital in the emergency departments and on medical surgical units. She spent three months serving as the staff nurse at a rural orphanage in Nepal in 1997. Professionally, Ms. Jordan divides her time between hospice and teaching mindfulness meditation. For nearly two decades, she has led mindfulness trainings for groups and individuals across the lifespan. She is Family Program Director at Insight Meditation Community of Washington, teaches mindfulness in schools with Minds, Inc, is a senior mentor for the online Power of Awareness course, and is a certified Level 3 Reiki Practitioner. She has extensive training in a variety of contemplative and healing modalities.

Ellen Owusu is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and received her master’s in nursing degree from Walden University. She has experience working at the oncology unit at Suburban Hospital and worked in the cardiology unit at Providence Hospital as a registered nurse. She continues to further her nursing training as a nurse practitioner at Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice.

Melanie Reynolds is committed to providing compassionate, high quality, Community Based Healthcare to patients with serious illnesses. Ms. Reynolds is an Adult Nurse Practitioner with certifications in Oncology and Hospice and Palliative Care. She is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and the University of Maryland at Baltimore.

Junta directiva

Directores de vida

  • Paul Alpuche
  • Edward Hall Asher
  • Beryl Feinberg
  • Suzanne Firstenberg
  • Arnold Kohn
  • Catherine S. Leggett
  • Elma Levy
  • Brian McCagh
  • Margaret McCaig
  • Michael McCarthy
  • Deborah Neipris
  • Richard Pettit
  • Karen Schaeffer