HPCC Announces 2025 Award Recipients
The Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center (HPCC) congratulates the following individuals on being selected as 2025 Certificants of the Year, as well as the institution chosen as Employer of the Year.
Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN®) of the Year:
Caitlyn Moore, DNP, MS, CRNP, AGACNP-BC, ACHPN®
Caitlyn Moore is an inpatient palliative care nurse practitioner at Jefferson-Abington Hospital in Pennsylvania and an assistant professor of nursing in the Jefferson College of Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University, where she also serves as director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. She is dedicated to advocating for individuals with serious illnesses, particularly those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).
Her current research is focused on improving palliative care and conversations about serious illness for people with IDDs. In addition to her clinical work and research, she actively mentors nursing students and fellow practitioners, instilling core palliative care principles within nursing education and partnerships. She strives to create an inclusive learning environment that encourages critical thinking about complex care issues. She embraces lifelong learning and is pursuing a PhD in palliative care at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has authored various articles and textbook chapters and presented locally and nationally on various topics related to palliative care, including improving palliative care for people with IDDs, spiritual care, communication, symptom management, and end-of-life considerations.
Advanced Palliative Hospice Social Worker – Certified (APHSW-C) of the Year:
Dawn Gramling, LISW-S, LMSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, CDP, CCM
Dawn Gramling has 20 years of experience as a medical social worker. She is a certified hospice and palliative care social worker and a certified dementia practitioner, and she holds social work licensure in Michigan and Ohio. She has worked at Hospice of Northwest Ohio for seven years as a social work hospice educator for the staff and the community. In addition, she works as a part-time instructor in the social work department at the University of Toledo. Her passion for gerontology, dementia, and complex medical care is equally weighted with her passion for supporting the professional caregiver.
Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Administrator (CHPCA®) of the Year:
Joan M. Hanson, MSN, RN, CHPCA®
Joan M. Hanson is a highly respected leader in hospice and palliative care with nearly four decades of experience in nursing and health care management. Currently serving as director of palliative care at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, she has made substantial contributions to advancing palliative care practices and certification initiatives within the organization.
From January to July 2024, she served as interim executive director for Hospice of North Central Ohio (HNCO), overseeing the integration of HNCO into Hospice of the Western Reserve. On August 1, 2024, she assumed the role of clinical director for North Central Ohio, managing clinical operations across Ashland, Knox, and Richland counties—a role she will continue through the end of 2024. She has guided the HNCO integration with Hospice of the Western Reserve while maintaining her roles as director of the program, which provides advanced illness management and community-based non-hospice care for patients with chronic conditions, ensuring they receive the appropriate level of care at every stage.
She has presented nationally at conferences on palliative care innovation, community partnerships, and care transitions. Her dedication to advancing the quality of care in hospice and palliative settings has earned her repeated recognitions.
Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN®) of the Year:
Angela Meyer, MSN, RN, CHPN®, COS-C
Angela Meyer has devoted her career to health care since 2003. She became a registered nurse in 2014 and completed her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 2020. With more than ten years at Gundersen Palmer Lutheran Home Health and Hospice, she has led the organization to achieve level 5 status as a We Honor Veterans Partner, exemplifying her commitment to high-quality hospice care.
In 2017, she earned her CHPN® certification and recently became an End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) instructor. She has served on the Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Iowa board since 2021 and is currently the president-elect, contributing to the strategic direction of hospice and palliative care in the state.
She actively advocates for hospice care at both state and federal levels. She has contributed to the American Nurses Journal and participated in various initiatives, including the Iowa LEAD Conference, the Iowa Hospice Veterans Partnership, and Hospice Action Week in Washington, D.C. As a panelist for webinars focused on hospice survey preparedness, she has shared her insights with a broader audience. She is well known in her community for her efforts in educating the public about hospice care, having delivered more than 25 presentations in recent years. Her dedicated service to advancing hospice and palliative care highlights her profound impact on the lives of patients and their families.
Certified Hospice and Palliative Nursing Assistant (CHPNA®) of the Year:
Paula Adams Hendricks, BFA, NA-C, CHPNA®
Paula Adams Hendricks has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus in painting. After college, she studied early childhood education and became a preschool teacher. In 1992, she relocated to the Puget Sound area and had a focused interest in caregiving. Initially, she worked in adult day health programs and specialized in teaching art to adults living with dementia and other frail populations. Subsequently, she became certified as a nursing assistant and gravitated toward a career in end-of-life care with Providence Hospice of Seattle.
Certified in Perinatal Loss Care (CPLC®) Certificant of the Year:
Sue Steen, RN, MS, CPLC®
Sue Steen’s nursing and teaching career spans more than 35 years. She has conducted research and published in perinatal bereavement and works as a perinatal nurse navigator at Maple Grove Hospital in Minnesota with families who have suffered the early or late loss of a baby. She is an adjunct nursing professor at Bethel University and is currently serving on the board of the International Stillbirth Alliance. She spends a great deal of her time working on her project in Uganda, Birth with Dignity, trying to save the lives of mothers and babies in childbirth while providing support in stillbirth.
Employer of the Year: Harbor Hospice
Harbor Hospice, originally founded as Hospice of Muskegon County in 1983 under the leadership of Sue Wierengo, has been pioneering compassionate, holistic end-of-life care for more than 40 years. Starting with an interdisciplinary hospice team in 1984, Harbor Hospice has continually expanded its scope and services to support patients and families in five counties along the West Michigan lakeshore.
In 2005, the organization opened the Leila and Cyrus Poppen Hospice Residence, a fully funded space dedicated to patients requiring specialized care outside their homes. The establishment of Harbor Palliative Care in 2006, led by Gerald Harriman, further reinforced Harbor’s commitment to symptom management and quality of life for seriously ill patients.
Today, Harbor Hospice honors veterans through the national We Honor Veterans initiative, provides enriching therapies as part of our circle of care—such as art, music, and massage—and continues to expand services to reach underserved areas. At the heart of its work is the Bob and Merle Scolnik Healing Center, offering transformative grief support services free of charge to all in the community. The Harbor Hospice Foundation, established in 2015, supports these and other programs and services of Harbor Hospice.
Guided by the commitment of the staff, volunteers, and board of directors, Harbor Hospice remains dedicated to its mission: to walk alongside patients and families at every step of their journey, providing compassionate, expert care, comfort, and support to those facing serious illness or nearing the end of life.
Contact: Ashley Farrington
Marketing Specialist
Email: ashleyf@gohpcc.org