Innovations in End-of-Life Care
an international journal of leaders in end-of-life care

Mary Arata has worked with oncology and hospice patients for 19 years in both acute care and long-term care settings. Ms. Arata regularly lectures on pain management to senior groups, played a key role in the development of a subacute oncology unit at Franciscan Woods, part of Covenant Healthcare in Brookfield Wisconsin, and provides ongoing education to the staff there. Currently, Ms. Arata is a member of the Covenant Pain Resource Team. In addition, she serves on a community advisory board for the development of palliative care programs in the long-term care settings.

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Julie Griffie received her baccalaureate in nursing from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida and her master's degree in nursing from Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI. Ms. Griffie has served as the Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Palliative Care Program since the program's inception in 1993. Her background includes extensive work in oncology nursing, roles in Associate Degree and BSN nursing education, and management and education in long-term care. In her role at MCW, her focus is to change the culture of end-of-life care through multidiscipline practice changes at Froedtert Hospital. In the community setting, her role has focused on the development and implementation of the project entitled Institutionalizing Improved Pain Management Practices in Long-term Care Settings both locally and nationally. She also has holds clinical teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee School of Nursing and the University of Wisconsin/Madison School of Nursing. She was recently recognized by the Delta Gamma Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau with their award for Outstanding Clinical Practice.

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Sandra Matson received her BSN from Carroll College, Waukesha, WI, and her MA in Bioethics from the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is the Clinical MIS/Ancillary Manager for Lakeland Health Care Center. Ms. Matson has co-authored numerous articles on pain management in long-term care settings, and is recognized as a leader in Bioethics Education in Wisconsin.

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Sandra Muchka joined the Palliative Care Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin as a clinical nurse specialist in March of 1997. The responsibilities of this role include nursing assessment of patients referred to the Palliative Care Consultation Service, coordinating the grant funded Roxane Visiting Nurse Scholar Program in Palliative Care, and participating in grant funded educational programs designed to work with long-term care facilities in the area of pain management. Ms. Muchka's background includes experience as an oncology nurse in the acute care and ambulatory settings, and in home hospice nursing. She is a member of the Oncology Nursing Society, Southeastern Wisconsin Oncology Nursing Society, American Association for Cancer Education, American Society of Pain Management Nurses, and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association. She has co-authored articles related to palliative care, equianalgesic conversion for opioids, and improving pain management practices in the area of long-term care.

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Dr. Weissman is a professor of internal medicine and director of the Medical College of Wisconsin Palliative Care Program. As director of the National Internal Medicine End-of-Life Residency Education Project, he is currently working to introduce end-of-life curriculum into 210 US internal medicine residency programs. Dr. Weissman co-directs EPERC, End-of-Life Physician Education Resource Center, a web-based resource for peer-reviewed physician education information, and he is editor-in-chief of Journal of Palliative Medicine.

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