Featured speakers

Pre-Conference April 29, 2025 1:00-4:00 PM –  Workshop topic: Supporting caregivers of aging populations.

Andrya R. Rivera-Burciaga, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN is an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and oversees the Doctor of Nursing Practice program.  She has over 23 years of clinical experience as a registered nurse, and 12 years as a family nurse practitioner, including nursing administration and education. For over 10 years, Dr. Rivera-Burciaga has focused her clinical practice on Hospice and Palliative Care.

She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Baylor University in May 1999. In 2010, she completed her Master of Science in Nursing, focusing on Adult Health. In May 2011, she also received her Post Masters Certificate as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas-Pan American.

Andrya has always been passionate about advanced nursing education and her community in the Rio Grande Valley. Her focus is driving change through improving clinical outcomes and community projects to improve access to palliative and end-of-life care for Mexican Americans in the Rio Grande Valley. Her focus has been increasing Advance Care Planning among Mexican Americans and advancing primary palliative care nursing education to undergraduate and graduate nursing students. This work is challenging, and she quickly learned she needed advanced education, mentoring, and leadership development to bring about “BIG” change. In 2017, she received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston – School of Nursing. She is currently a PhD in Nursing Science student at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

In 2023, the Cambia Health Foundation awarded Andrya an esteemed opportunity to participate in the Cambia Sojourns Scholar Leadership program. This award includes a $180,000 grant focused on a proposed project, mentorship, and leadership development. The proposed project is focused on healthcare disparities among Mexican Americans living with serious illnesses.

Healthcare disparities are well documented among Hispanics; however, the literature regarding disparities in palliative and end-of-life care is sparse, especially among Mexican Americans. Cultural perspectives are critical in identifying how ethnic and racial minorities seek, use, and approach palliative and end-of-life care. The proposed project will use a community-based

approach for a qualitative study to explore the attitudes, perceptions, experiences, and needs of Mexican Americans in the Rio Grande Valley living with a serious illness. Using pláticas and pláticas intimas will allow an opportunity to gather in-depth, contextually rich data that can be analyzed to generate insights into the project’s purpose. The project’s long-term objective is to create a well-equipped network of Mexican American stakeholders, community partners, and experts in the field of hospice and palliative care to create culturally specific and appropriate resources for Mexican-Americans living with serious illnesses nationally.

With the proposed project completion, mentorship, and leadership development, I will contribute to decreasing healthcare disparities among Mexican Americans. This esteemed opportunity will give the Rio Grande Valley increased access to palliative care, such as what currently exists in other places across the country. This is what I strive to address through the Sojourns Scholar Leadership program. My goal is to gain the capacity to connect with palliative care peers and recognized experts in the field nationally to address barriers and participate in creating solutions for Mexican Americans in the Rio Grande Valley. I seek to cultivate my skills to be an influential voice for Hispanics with serious illness and want to lead positive change in addressing healthcare disparities among Hispanics, specifically among Mexican Americans. My goal is to be recognized as a valuable palliative care leader in clinical practice, research, and advocacy.

KEYNOTE April 30, 2025 – Presentation topic: Dr. Delgado will tell her personal story of being a caregiver.  She will discuss experiences with veterans and speaking to Congress about their issues.

Roxana E Delgado, PhD, MS, Professor, UT Health San Antonio School of Nursing, Director of Caring for the Caregiver
I am a health scientist and epidemiologist focusing on military and veteran research, especially family caregivers of wounded, ill, and injured Veterans. For the past fifteen years, my work explored the psychosocial determinants of health and health outcomes in Veterans with complex comorbidity. In recent years I developed the “Military and Veteran Caregiver Research Portfolio” studying the health and well-being of military families and caregivers of wounded, ill, and injured military personnel and Veterans, with an emphasis on the trajectory of health, the delivery of care in complex and large healthcare systems. As a health scientist and epidemiologist, I have worked with healthcare systems, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders to conduct studies that may impact the military and the nation’s healthcare and social policies. My experience as the wife of a combat wounded Veteran has informed my work and allowed me to be an insider in the community I work with.

KEYNOTE May 1, 2025 – Presentation topic: What it takes to get a Center of Excellence for the Aging

Stacy Barnes, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Practice and Director, Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center, Marquette University College of Nursing

Dr. Stacy Barnes is a PhD-prepared Social Gerontologist with 37 years of interprofessional work aimed at improving quality of life for older adults. She is an Associate Professor of Practice at Marquette University’s College of Nursing, Director of the Wisconsin Geriatric Education Center, and Interim Director of the Institute for Palliative and End-of-Life Care. During her tenure at Marquette, Dr. Barnes has been awarded 28 grants totaling more than $19 Million dollars. Dr. Barnes holds a master’s degree in Gerontological Studies from the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and an interdisciplinary PhD in Social Gerontology from Marquette University. She also completed a 1-year fellowship with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of its Primary Health Care Policy Fellowship program. Dr. Barnes has served in several national leadership roles including Past President of the National Association of Geriatric Education Centers, Past President of the National Association for Geriatric Education, and as a national delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. Dr. Barnes frequently serves as a consultant to federal agencies, foundations, and non-profit organizations to assist them in reviewing grants and evaluating programs. In addition to her professional work, she is an active volunteer in the Milwaukee community, currently serving on the Board of Directors and as Chair of the Ethics Committee for St. Camillus Life Plan Community, the largest retirement community in Wisconsin.

INVITED SPEAKER TBA