Meet the Palliative Care Team
Members of the Palliative Care team include:
Physician
A medical doctor who received advanced training and certification in assessing, diagnosis and treating pain and symptoms associated with serious illness. This physician coordinates with other specialists involved in your care
Nurse Practitioner
An advanced practice registered nurse overseen by the Palliative Care physician in assessing, diagnosing and treating serious illnesses. This provider also coordinates with other specialists involved in your care.
Social Services
A licensed clinical social worker who assists in assessing, diagnosis and treating the psychosocial/emotional needs of the patients and their families. This provider is also available for basic resource referrals to community services, in addition to, offering psychotherapy sessions in the clinic.
Pharmacist
A healthcare professional who is knowledgeable in medication usage and assists in reconciling medications to discontinue inappropriate medications, prevent unsafe medication reactions, reduce polypharmacy, provide education and geriatric consultation, minimize delays in therapy due to drug shortages, recommend alternative, cost-effective drugs and promote safe medication administration.
Dietitian
A healthcare professional who understands how to meet a patient’s nutritional needs and provide recommendations on optimizing dietary adjustments while coping with serious illness.
Chaplain
A spiritual counselor can be available upon request to offer additional support when coping with serious illness.
Meet Our Team
Ujjwala Dheeriya, MD - Physician, Medical Director
Sites: Hunt Cancer Center, Care Coordination Center
Board Certifications:
- Hospice and Palliative Care
- Internal Medicine
- Internal Medicine with Focus on Hospital Medicine
- Pediatrics
Education:
- Bachelor of Arts in Biology, Smith College
- Doctor of Medicine, University of Virginia School of Medicine
- Internship and Residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Baystate Medical Center, Tufts University
Interest in Palliative Care: I am dedicated to optimizing quality of life for my patients through building compassionate relationships with them and their family.
Hobbies: I raise service dogs and enjoy cooking, listening to audiobooks, attending concerts with my husband and spending time with my two teenage sons.
Henry Kaing, DO
Specializations:
- Board-certified: Internal Medicine
- Board-eligible: Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Education
- Bachelor of Science at University of California Los Angeles
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine at Touro University California
- Residency at University of California Irvine
- Fellowship at University of California Los Angeles
Interest in Palliative Care: My interest in palliative care stems from my desire to provide holistic, person-centered care. I work alongside the interdisciplinary team to support and guide patients and families during their experience with serious illness.
Hobbies: Hiking, photography, spending time with my wife and labradoodle Bailey.
Tiffany Hsu, MD
Specializations:
- Board-certified: Internal Medicine
- Board-eligible: Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in English at Brown University
- Doctor of Medicine at Warren Alpert
- Medical School of Brown University
- Residency in Internal Medicine at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
- Fellowship in Palliative Care at University of California Los Angeles
Interest in Palliative Care:I am passionate about caring for patients and their families with compassion and clear communication at critical times in their lives. I am committed to collaborating with other providers as a team to align treatment with patients’ values and to deliver effective and empathetic care.
Hobbies: Running, reading, cooking (and eating), and playing trivia.
Jungok Ha, NP
Specializations:
- Adult Nurse Practitioner ANCC
- ACHPN (Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse)
Education
- Undergraduate: Kyungpook National University, 1999
- Graduate: George Mason University, 2007
Interest in Palliative Care: Palliative care treats each patient as a whole person. Team work(providers, social workers, Nurse, chaplains) enables us to support patients with serious illness physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially- whole person.
Hobbies: Running, Hiking, Soap making, and raising butterflies.
Other Languages Spoken: Korean
Danielle Cosgrove, RN, CHPN - Registered Nurse
Sites: Inpatient
Specialization/Certifications:
- Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse
Interest in Palliative Care: I chose to work in Palliative Care because it is an honor to provide guidance, comfort and support to patients and their families dealing with serious illness.
Hobbies: I enjoy gardening, baking and exercise.
Ann Chae, MSW, LCSW, ACHP-SW - Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Sites: Hunt Cancer Center, Care Coordination Center
Specialization:
- Oncology
- Medical Social Work
- Palliative and Hospice Social Work
Education:
- Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Asian American Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Master of Social Work, University of Southern California
Interest in Palliative Care: I became interested in Palliative Care because I have experienced firsthand the struggle of a family member suffering from a serious illness. Palliative care was never offered to us and we had to navigate next steps alone. It was a very difficult process and I wish we had experts helping us with next steps and educating us with the disease process. The second reason I have an interest in Palliative Care is that I have always found it rewarding to be able to help patients with serious illnesses develop goals of care and lead these difficult conversations. I see Palliative Care as a road map for someone with a serious illness. This roadmap would provide family with tools, support and education to increase quality of life and decrease stress on the family.
Hobbies: Traveling, cooking and spending time with my family.
Other Languages Spoken: Korean
Kelie Tabangay, LCSW, APHSW-C – Inpatient Palliative Care Manager and Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Sites: Inpatient
Specialization:
- Certified Advanced Palliative Hospice Social Worker
Education:
- University of California, Berkeley
- Master of Social Work, University of Michigan
Interest in Palliative Care: I am passionate about supporting patients and their family as they go through their journey of living with serious illness. I know the value Palliative Care can provide and want to make sure we help as many patients as we can.
Hobbies: I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, traveling, trying new foods, binge watching "Friends."
Sherry Rafters, BSN, RN, OCN – Outpatient Palliative Care Manager
Sites: Outpatient
Specialization:
Education:
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Azusa Pacific University
Interest in Palliative Care: With a background in oncology, I’ve been caring for patients with serious illness for over 20 years and have been very inspired by the patients I’ve met. I believe that Palliative Care is the very essence of nursing and I love caring for the whole person and providing support for patients and families. I work with an amazing team and it is very rewarding to see our patients find relief from distressing symptoms and find meaning and hope in the face of serious illness.
Hobbies: Quilting, embroidery, scrolling through Pinterest for new ideas, traveling, and experiencing new foods and restaurants.
Airah Lobrio - Medical Assistant
Sites: Hunt Cancer Center
Specialization: CCMA
Interest in Palliative Care:
I have experienced and felt how heartbreaking to have someone in my family struggling with a serious illness and not getting enough help or guidance. I wanted to be part of Palliative Care to help assist patients and their families on my own way be like a bridge connecting them to the right people that will help them with what they need, to make sure that they are aware that there’s an extra support for them and that they are not alone in this journey.
Hobbies: Singing, traveling, volleyball, and trying out new food places.
Other Languages Spoken: Tagalog
Patricia Valenzuela - Medical Assistant
Sites: Hunt Cancer Center
Interest in Palliative Care:
I never pictured myself working with Cancer Patients and now I can’t see myself not working in this field. I love talking to the patients and being able to make them smile and laugh. If I am able to make a tiny difference in my patients’ day, then I know I have done my job.
Other Languages Spoken: Spanish
