Ballentine Named New Executive Director of CSU Institute for Palliative Care

"As Jennifer has noted, many in palliative care describe their work not as a career but as a calling, and that certainly holds true for her," said CSUSM President Karen Haynes. "Jennifer will continue to build on the success of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care as a national leader in palliative care workforce development."

Ballentine found her place in palliative and hospice care after founding and building a successful business in academic book production and publishing. She has served as the president of The Iris Project since 2014, delivering high-level consulting services to national clients. Her work has focused on initiatives to improve palliative care through education, policy development, practice and systems change.

Previously, Ballentine served as executive director of Life Quality Institute in Denver where she transformed a small nonprofit focused on educating local medical students and community groups into a well-regarded regional palliative care learning institute.

She has also worked as a research program strategist for The Denver Hospice-University of Colorado School of Medicine and director of programs for the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care.

Throughout her career, she has participated in and chaired interagency taskforces at the state and national levels to influence palliative and hospice care policy, delivery design, and quality standards. She is currently a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's Ethics Advisory Council and the National POLST Paradigm Task Force.

"I am excited and honored to be working with President Haynes, the Institute's exceptional team of staff and educators, and the CSU leadership, to be an advocate for our students, and to build on the success of founding Executive Director Helen McNeal," Jennifer said. "This is a pivotal time for healthcare, and palliative care has a key role to play. The Institute will continue to find innovative ways to ensure an educated and skilled workforce is in place to meet the needs of patients, families, communities, and the healthcare systems we partner with."

Ballentine earned her bachelor's in interdisciplinary studies from Oberlin College and her master's in end-of-life studies from Regis University.

About the CSU Institute for Palliative Care

The CSU Institute for Palliative Care is preparing the current and future palliative care workforce while educating the community about the benefits of palliative care. The Institute offers instructor-led and self-paced online learning to individuals anywhere in the world.

Housed within one of the largest state university systems in the United States, the Institute leverages the strength of CSU's workforce development infrastructure to deliver evidence-based online and in-person learning to current and future palliative care professionals working in all settings to meet the growing needs of chronically or seriously ill people.

SOURCE CSU Institute For Palliative Care