SCHOLAR DIRECTORY

Amisha Parekh de Campos, RN, BSN, MPH is looking to close the knowledge gap by enhancing communication in palliative care. Palliative care is too often mistaken for hospice care. The goal is to help define palliative care, differentiate palliative and hospice care and provide earlier plans of care that includes symptom management and goals of care for patients and families. Amisha has worked in international settings such as the Dominican Republic, United Kingdom and India doing various public health work in the field of HIV/AIDs, health education and community outreach. She worked for many years as a health analyst for a risk management firm in Annapolis, Maryland specializing in travel health. In nursing, Amisha started in neuro-trauma, but much of her career has been in hospice and palliative homecare. Most of her career has been at Middlesex Hospital Connecticut in roles in the hospice and palliative program. She has overseen the homecare program as the clinical manager for four years and currently is works at the educator. She chairs the quality assurance and performance (QAPI) committee which continuously evaluates data and uses nursing theory and evidence-based practice to improve quality indicators to improve patient and staff outcomes. Most recently Amisha has started a PhD in Nursing at the University of Connecticut. She hopes to enhance her skills as a researcher, both quantitative and qualitative. Through coursework, mentorship, resources at the University and networking, she plans to develop a holistic knowledge base on methodology, best practices, team coordination and leadership skills.