Speakers and Bios

Plenary Speakers 

Harvey M Chochinov, MD, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and a Senior Scientist and Cancer Care Manitoba Research Institute. His research provides an empirical basis for understanding and addressing palliative and end-of-life care experiences for patients and their families. His more than 350 career publications, which have been cited over 30,000 times, have broached diverse topics such as depression, quality-of-life, suicide, vulnerability, spirituality and existential distress towards end-of-life. He has also led a large program of research targeting issues related to dignity within the healthcare setting, which includes the development and study of Dignity Therapy. He is the co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Hospice and co-editor of The Handbook of Psychiatry in Palliative Medicine (Oxford University Press). His latest book is entitled In Search of Dignity: A Lifetime of Reflections, published by Oxford University Press. He has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Canadian Medical Association’s highest recognition, the FNG Starr Award. He is an Order of Manitoba recipient and an Officer in the Order of Canada. 

Anne Helms, MD, MS, is a Professor of Neurology at the Medical College of Wisconsin completed medical school at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago and a Neurology residency at the University of Maryland in Baltimore.  She did fellowships in Vascular Neurology and Neurocritical Care at the Medical College of Wisconsin.  Her practice is focused on inpatient management of Neurovascular disease as well as neurotrauma and other critical care neurology disorders. She has a dedication to undergraduate and graduate medical education having spent her career developing and leading educational programs for medical students, residents and fellows and is currently the Program Director for both the Neurology Residency and the Vascular Neurology Fellowship. She holds a certificate in bioethics from MCW and has served on the Froedtert Hospital Ethics committee for many years. Her diverse research interests include neuroethics and brain death, women’s issues in stroke, and innovations in Neurology education.

Deborah Unger, MD, FAAHPM, is a board-certified palliative care physician and Director of Medical Informatics with the Institute for Human Caring at Providence St. Joseph Health.  She completed her medical degree at Texas A&M College of Medicine, followed by internal medicine residency with the University of Miami in West Palm Beach, then both research and clinical palliative care fellowships at Stanford University, before taking a position as an attending physician at the Nashville VA Medical Center, as well as serving as faculty with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Hospice and Palliative Care fellowship. In early 2022, she transitioned to her current role, where she also serves as the health system’s Palliative Care Specialty Provider Informaticist, chairs the Palliative Care Clinical Decision Team, and is an active physician builder-analyst. She is also a chair emeritus for Epic’s Palliative Care Specialty Steering Board.  Her interests include finding new escape rooms, building Lego, and underwater photography.

Concurrent Presenters

Cole Macke, DO, is currently a hospice and palliative care fellow at the Medical College Wisconsin. He has completed his family medicine residency in Bremerton, WA in 2025. 

Samantha Walczak M.A., CCC-SLP, has been a Speech-Language Pathologist with Froedtert Health for six years. Her clinical experience spans acute, inpatient and subacute rehabilitation and home health settings. Samantha has helped develop a collaborative partnership with the Palliative Care team, with a focus on supporting informed, patient-centered decision-making related to dysphagia. Her work emphasizes the impact of swallowing management on quality of life, goal-concordant care and future care planning. 

Melanie Johnson, M.S., CCC-SLP, has spent nearly 16 years working at the acute level of care in hospitals within the metro Milwaukee area, six of which have been in Froedtert Health. Prior to transitioning to Froedtert, Melanie was part of a ground roots team that developed a thriving relationship between the speech pathologists and palliative care team. Facilitating conversations about dysphagia, quality of life and long-term management within the lens of patient centered care became a passion that has spanned across organizations.

Adrienne Klement, MD, is a board certified physician in Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She is the Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Education and Medicine Residency Site Director at the Milwaukee VA, with a focus on veteran-centric care and medical education. She is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, pursued residency and fellowship training at Duke, and served as a Hospice Medical Director at Penn. She is a mom of three girls, wife to an orthopedic surgeon, and enjoys golfing, being a hockey mom, reading, and traveling.

Amy Babcock, DNP, FNP-BC, is a Nurse Practitioner at the Milwaukee VA, specializing in palliative care. She earned her BSN from the University of Milwaukee in 2012. Following her graduation, she worked as a critical care RN in the ICU at the Milwaukee VA until 2016. She then transitioned to primary care at the Milwaukee VA, where she worked until 2019 while concurrently pursuing her DNP from the University of Milwaukee. Since 2019,  she has been an integral member of the palliative care team at the Milwaukee VA as an Advanced Practice Nurse. She is deeply committed to enhancing the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses through compassionate care and expert symptom management.

Bradley Endres, PharmD, PhD, is a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist in Hematology/Oncology and a Clinical Research Pharmacist at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center. Brad received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin and his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Houston. He completed a PGY1 residency at the Clement J. Zablocki VA, a teaching certificate from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a pharmacy fellowship in infectious disease from the University of Houston. At the VA, Brad provides pharmacy support for the hematology/oncology inpatient team and helps manage patients on oral and intravenous chemotherapy. Brad also manages the Investigational Drug Program, is a voting member of the Institutional Review Boards, and is a non-voting consultant to the Research and Development Committee.

June McKoy, MD, MPH, JD, LLM (hons), MBA, is a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. McKoy is also a licensed Illinois attorney, with additional certification in Health Law. She also holds certification in Disability Ethics from the Donnelley Ethics Program at Shirley Ryan Ability Lab and certification in Healthcare Ethics from Rush University.

Travis Fisher, MD, is a board-certified psychiatrist who underwent residency training at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 2006-2010, before finishing his training with a year of consult-liaison fellowship at the University of California-Davis. He is now an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.