Ep. 40: When You Know Better, Do Better: The Need to Be Seen as an Individual

In this episode, three HPNA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) Committee members reflect on their lived experience- how positionality impacts the way they show up to their work as hospice and palliative care clinicians and researchers and how they've shifted from cultural competency toward cultural responsiveness.

Together, these experts discuss how our knowledge and actions must evolve in the face of new information, and how we can foster a healthcare environment that not only acknowledges but celebrates individual identity and culture.

Whether you’re a clinician, researcher, or anyone passionate about making healthcare more equitable, this conversation provides valuable insight into how we can all "do better" by truly seeing each person as they are.

Nancy Dias, PhD, RN, MSN, FPCN® Nancy Dias is an Associate Professor in the Nurse Science Department at the College of Nursing. Her work experience in nursing includes both experiences in the United States and internationally (India and Oman) as a clinician, educator, administrator, and a researcher. She completed her PhD at Duke University School of Nursing and a 1-year T32 post-doctoral fellowship from Indiana University School of Nursing. As a researcher, she has a niche for a very significant and innovative aspect of pediatric palliative care services that includes caregiver health outcomes, their bereavement processes, social and structural determinants of health, and innovative technology. Her academic initiatives have focused on transforming educational curriculum to integrate a nursing curriculum with a goal “charting a path to achieve health equity”. Her entrepreneurial skills are exemplified through her role as a co-founder of the Indo-American Evidence based practice Academy and development of an innovative app for bereaved families. She has received several research grants and among many awards, she is the recipient of the Research Nurse of the Year Award 2020, from North Carolina Nurses Association. She has also been recognized with several other awards including, East Carolina University College of Nursing Outstanding Faculty award (2022), Outstanding Mentor award from Sigma Theta Tau’s Beta Nu chapter (2024). She was inducted as the Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing in 2024. She has international collaborations with nurses in India and Egypt and mentors these nurse scientists with whom she shares common research and scholarship interest. She has several publications and presentations done locally, nationally, and internationally.

Adrienne Jones-Adamczyk, MBE, RN, ACNP-BC ACHPN®, HEC-C Adrienne Jones-Adamczyk MSN, MBE, RN, ACNP-BC, ACHPN®, HEC-C is a Senior Clinical Ethics Specialty Program Director for Banner Health. She has more than 14 years of experience as a board-certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and is an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse. She has spent her career in Neuroscience, Palliative Medicine, Home Hospice, and Hospice GIP settings. The clinical conundrums and ethical dilemmas of the COVID-19 pandemic inspired her to continue her education in bioethics, and she obtained a Master of Bioethics degree in May 2023 from Harvard Medical School. She continues her work in equity and human flourishing as an active member of the HPNA Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee.

Katherine Doyon, PhD, MED, RN, CHPN® Kate Doyon is an assistant professor at Boise State University, School of Nursing. She serves on HPNA’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee and Research Advisory Committee and is a former co-chair of the Emerging Scholars Special Interest Group. She is a certified hospice and palliative care nurse and volunteers on the CHPN® Credentialing Committee. She is a member of the most recent Cambia Sojourns Leadership scholars’ program. Kate is passionate about mentoring the next generation of hospice and palliative care nurse scientists and mentors several nurse scholars. She is the recipient of the HPNF Research Scholar Award, the first author of the section on health equity for the HPNA Research Agenda and a reviewer for palliative care journals and conferences including the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Through her advocacy, mentorship, and research of equitable hospice and palliative care, Dr. Doyon exemplifies the highest standards of HPNA's commitment to compassionate care.