Deborah Bourgeois, APRN, received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Loyola University, New Orleans and her Master of Nursing from Louisiana State University Health Science Center where she specialized as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Nursing with a specialty in palliative medicine. She is boarded as an Advanced Certified Hospice Palliative Nurse and certified spiritual director. She has participated in palliative medicine research especially in the area of professional palliative care education. She has numerous professional presentations and publications in the field. She has been both a clinician and a leader in the field of Palliative Medicine since 2001.