HPNA/HPNF Announce Four New Members of the 2027 Board of Directors
The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) and the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation (HPNF) are pleased to welcome four nursing leaders who will begin serving on the HPNA and HPNF Boards of Directors in January 2027.
Komal Patel Murali, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FPCN®, has been appointed to serve. Shairna Curtis-Romonchuk, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN®; D’Jenie R. Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, ACHPN®; and Kathleen Rogers, MSN, FNP-BC, ACHPN®, RN, have been elected to serve through the HPNA membership election held this past September.
Together, these incoming board members bring experience spanning clinical care, nursing leadership, education, research, program development, and advocacy. Their perspectives will help guide HPNA and HPNF as the organizations continue working to advance expert care in serious illness. More information on each board member may be found below.
Shairna Curtis-Romonchuk, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN®
Shairna is an advanced certified hospice and palliative nurse practitioner at Inova Schar Cancer Institute, where she helped establish and expand the outpatient palliative care clinic. She has more than a decade of experience caring for oncology patients and families and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Executive Leadership at the University of Lynchburg.
D’Jenie R. Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, ACHPN®
D’Jenie is a Doctor of Nursing Practice-prepared Family Nurse Practitioner and Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse with more than 18 years of nursing experience. As Director of Resource Nights & Weekend Nurse Practitioners at Chapters Health System, she leads multistate advanced practice teams delivering hospice and palliative care.
Komal Patel Murali, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FPCN®
Komal is an Assistant Professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. Her research focuses on advancing hospice and palliative care for seriously ill older adults, particularly people living with dementia, and on improving hospice transitions, end-of-life care management, and hospice and palliative care literacy.
Kathleen Rogers, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, ACHPN®
Kathleen is a palliative care nurse practitioner at Cleveland Clinic, where she cares for patients living with advanced heart failure and other serious illnesses. Her professional experience includes clinical, educational, and leadership roles, and she is passionate about improving access to palliative care and strengthening communication surrounding serious illness and end-of-life care.
HPNA and HPNF congratulate these new board members and look forward to the leadership, expertise, and perspectives they will bring to their roles beginning in January!