Katie Thompson, AGNP, ACHPN, RN and Mruga Morris, MD 

Total Pain

Katie Thompson, AGNP, ACHPN, RN is certified in advanced practice hospice & palliative care nursing. She has been with UNC Rex for 13 years, currently working in outpatient palliative care at the Cancer Center. She considers herself a nurse first, and as Nurse Practitioner found her calling in the medical specialty of Palliative Care. Her work centers the prevention and alleviation of suffering by focusing on quality of life. She thrives at the intersection of science and spirituality, medicine and ethics, autonomy and community. Prior to nursing, she served in AmeriCorps providing HIV/AIDS care and education and case management. Katie is a leader, advocate, counselor, and perpetual learner. Her educational background reflects her range and spans every region of North Carolina: ADN from Wake Technical Community College, BSN from UNC-Wilmington, BS Psychology from Appalachian State and finally MSN Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner from Duke University. Perhaps there’s a terminal degree ahead, but her husband hopes not. She lives downtown Raleigh with her family.

Dr. Mruga Morris is the supervising and collaborating physician for UNC REX Cancer Center Palliative Care. She completed her fellowship training at UCLA and is board certified in Palliative Medicine. Dr. Morris works full-time on the Rex inpatient palliative care team.  

Melissa Gordon-Pitts, MSW, LCSW, ACM-SW:

What to Write, What not to Write: Ethical Documentation

Melissa Gordon-Pitts works at Duke University Hospital as the Assistant Director of Clinical Social Work. Formerly she was a social worker at Duke's Adult Sickle Cell clinic where she provided counseling and support to her patients in the clinic and hospital. Melissa provides cultural sensitivity and trauma informed care training to medical staff. Teaching is one of her passions. She has provided trainings on a variety of topics including: Historical Trauma and Its Impact on African American Patients, How to Have Difficult Conversations about Race and Systemic Racism, Implicit Bias: Their Impact on how we Communicate. Melissa is currently a faculty member with the American Society of Hematology. Melissa obtained her Bachelor's degrees from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Psychology and Social Work. She graduated from the University of Maryland's School of Social Work with her Masters in 2001.

Vickie Leff, LCSW, APHSW-C

Vickie Leff is a Palliative Care Consultant and an Adjunct Instructor at the UNC School of Social Work, Chapel Hill, and Yeshiva University. With over thirty-five years of clinical practice experience in oncology, palliative care, and hospice, Vickie presents on topics such as moral distress and resilience to several national educational organizations and institutions. Recently she served as the Executive Director of SWHPN and prior to that as the Executive Director of the Advanced Palliative Care & Hospice Social Work Certification (APHSW) board, an organization which oversees the implementation and administration of this evidence-based certification. Vickie’s work has been published in Health Affairs, the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (JPSM), Journal of Palliative Medicine and other journals with a focus on moral distress and resilience. She is on the editorial board of Social Work in Health Care Journal. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Practical Bioethics. She is an editor of the book Mirrors & Windows: Reflections of the Journey in Serious Illness Practice and co-author of Helping Children Cope when someone they Love has a Serious Illness. Vickie earned her Master of Social Work from Simmons School of Social Work. 

Elephant and Tea:

Healing Through Writing Workshop for Oncology Social Workers

Wendy Griffith, LCSW, OSW-C

Whitney Hadley, MA, MSW, LSW, OSW-C

Whitney Hadley is a Licensed Social Worker and Certified Oncology Social Worker who has worked with children, adolescents and young adults (AYA), and adults touched by cancer. She has extensive experience working with the AYA community and is passionate about her work in guiding individuals through writing a new life story as a cancer patient, survivor, or caregiver. Whitney is trained in Meaning-Centered Psychotherapy through Memorial-Sloan Kettering, which allows participants to explore the meaning in their cancer experiences.

Fidel Valea, MD:

ABC’s of Clinical Trials: How Social Work Can Help

Fidel Valea, MD, is Professor and System Chief of Gynecologic Oncology for the Northwell Health Cancer Institute / Zucker School of Medicine. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in NYC where he earned a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, before completing medical school at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He completed both his Residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Doctor Valea then joined the faculty at Stony Brook in 1992, where he became the Residency Program Director, PI for the GOG, as well as the Director of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology during his 12-year tenure. He joined the faculty at Duke in 2004, and during his 12 years there he was promoted to a full-tenured Professor and served as the Vice-Chair of Education, Residency Program Director in Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as the Fellowship Director in Gynecologic Oncology until 2016 when he left Duke to become the Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. He served as the chair for 5 years before joining the faculty at Northwell. Doctor Valea is a member of several organizations including the Society of Gynecologic Oncology, ACOG, and ABOG previously serving on the Board of Directors for all three organizations. He is the immediate past Director of Gynecologic Oncology for ABOG. As a member of APGO, he serves as faculty for the Surgical Education Scholars Program as well as the Diversity & Equity Committee task force. He has won numerous national and regional teaching awards and has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, online articles, and book chapters. Doctor Valea is one of four editors for the recent edition of Comprehensive Gynecology. His research interests are in pre-invasive disease of the cervix, minimally invasive surgery, and evidence-based peri-operative care. His professional passion is medical education.