Meet Dr. Abraham Brody, 2023 HPNA and HPNF Board member

As part of HPNF’s 25th anniversary celebrations, we will be spotlighting the 2023 HPNA and HPNF Board members. Today, we are excited to feature Abraham Brody, PhD, RN, ACHPN, FAAN, FPCN! Dr. Brody lives in New York and is the Mathy Mezey Professor of Geriatric Nursing, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU.

1. How has HPNA/HPNF supported you throughout your career?

“HPNA and HPNF has served as my home for palliative nursing. I have had the opportunity to learn so much as I’ve grown to be a leader from members of the field. I was an HPNA research scholar, which helped to kick off my research career as a faculty member. I wrote a textbook for HPNA, and developed a leadership program to advance the next generation of nurse leaders. But most importantly, I’ve been supported because HPNA is a community of nurses all seeking to improve care for seriously ill individuals and their families, a community where we can learn from each other and drive excellence in patient care.”

2. What inspired you to become a Board member?

“This organization means so much to me because of its unique place in supporting hospice and palliative nurses. We are a growing field and the opportunity to give back and provide leadership to an organization that has advanced my career inspired me to apply for the board. There is so much opportunity for HPNA and its members to lead the future of hospice and palliative nursing and advocate for nurse-friendly policies that will help us to better care for seriously ill individuals and their families.”

3. How do you want HPNA/HPNF to impact your patients and/or community?

“I feel that HPNA and HPNF can impact both my patients and my community in so many ways. From advocating for legislation and policy that makes it easier for nurses and the teams we lead to provide high quality care, to helping our field to better address the needs of diverse seriously ill populations, to training individual members to provide better care, to supporting high quality research that impacts nursing practice. It takes work on multiple levels and the possibilities are endless!”

4. What is a fun fact about yourself?

“Prior to having kids, in addition to being a hospice and palliative nurse, I was a professional soccer referee. Through the years I had the opportunity to referee some of the greatest American players including Alex Morgan and Landon Donovan.”