Palliative Care Experts

Thomas Smith, M.D., the Harry J. Duffey Family Professor of Palliative Medicine Professor of Oncology and Director of Palliative Medicine. Dr. Smith has a national and international reputation as one of the foremost leaders in the field of palliative care. He is board certified in both oncology and pain/palliative medicine, with research focused on neuropathic pain, care at the end of life, and bending the cost curve in patients with life limiting conditions.

Sydney Dy, M.D., M.Sc., Director, Research Operations. A member of the Johns Hopkins faculty since 2001, Dr. Dy holds joint appointments in the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy Management, and in the Department of Medicine. Sydney is board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine and has extensive experience in palliative care quality standards and quality improvement, and in research in symptom management and quality of care.

Suzanne Amato Nesbit, Pharm.D., BCPS, Clinical Specialist in Pain Management for the Duffey Pain and Palliative Care Program and the Department of Pharmacy. She has been awarded the Jennifer L. Brager Memorial Clinical Research Award from the Kimmel Cancer Center to develop and study the use of pictographs to help patients communicate their pain to health care providers. With Stuart A. Grossman, M.D., she developed the Hopkins Opioid Program, a PDA- and Web-based application which performs opioid equianalgesic conversions.

Donald List, LCSW-C, Clinical Social Worker. He received his B.S.W. from the University of Maryland in 1998, and his M.S.W. from the University of Maryland in 2002. Before joining the Johns Hopkins Hospital, Donald worked with at-risk children and families in Child Welfare. He also has experience working in hospice as a Hospice Social Worker. At Johns Hopkins, he has worked in both pediatric and adult oncology.

Lynn Billing, BSN, CHPN, Nurse Coordinator. Lynn’s Johns Hopkins experience includes primary nurse in the outpatient department, research nurse for hematological malignancies, and as a nurse pain specialist for the Cancer Pain Service. She also has experience as a home hospice nurse. Lynn has advanced certification in hospice and palliative care and pain management. She is a graduate of the Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice offered by Harvard Medical School.

Rhonda Cooper, M.Div., Kimmel Cancer Center Chaplain. Rhonda is an ordained United Methodist minister. Her past experience includes 17 years as a church pastor, and chaplaincy service in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In her present role, she works with patients, families and staff and continues to be amazed by the courage and faith of the individuals she serves in this setting.

Colleen Apostol, RN, OCN. Colleen has worked as a nurse in the Kimmel Cancer Center since 1999. Her experience includes working with leukemia patients, critical care nursing in oncology, and serving in the IPOP (inpatient/outpatient) clinic with BMT (bone marrow transplant) and leukemia patients.