Ep. 41: Heartfelt Navigation: Pioneering Palliative Care for the Community

In this episode, we explore two innovative projects—Project UPHOLDS (Utilizing Palliative care for Heart failure Optimized using Lay navigators to Decrease Suffering) and Project ADAPT HF (ADdressing All Pain Through navigator-led palliative care optimized for Heart Failure)—which focus on utilizing community-based lay navigators to optimize palliative care for heart failure, especially among older Black adults. We delve into the importance of shared decision-making and how co-designed interventions are shaping pain management trials, with a special emphasis on inclusivity and addressing under-representation in research. Rachel shares her personal journey and career trajectory, highlighting the privilege of being able to advocate for these communities and the impact of culturally responsive care.

Rachel Duncan Wells, PhD, MSN, RN, CNL Dr. Rachel Wells is an Assistant Professor and Core Mixed Methods Faculty in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As a nurse and Clinical Nurse Leader with more than 10 years of clinical experience in cardiac critical care, palliative medicine, and rural health, her research bridges the fields of chronic illness care and early palliative care and is focused on refining palliative care access for under resourced older adults living with serious illness. Specifically, Dr. Wells has focused on the development and testing of highly efficient and effective models of early palliative care for those living with advanced heart failure. Her emerging program of research focuses on the examination of active palliative care intervention elements and dosing of palliative care to develop optimized interventions that uniquely address palliative care needs, a novel approach to addressing health disparities in under resourced palliative care populations. She has been involved with a number of federally-, foundationally-, and intramurally funded grants as a PI and Co-I that have involved intervention development and tailoring and clinical trials testing and implementation of models of early palliative care for those living with serious illness and their family caregivers. Dr. Wells is regularly engaged in the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, where she has championed efforts to educate clinicians and others to identify, monitor, and intervene early for cardiovascular challenges in under resourced populations.  

Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.