Summary: The Minnesota Death Collaborative will host a virtual panel discussion featuring representatives from NEDA (National End-of-Life Doula Alliance), The Bardo, Beyond Hospice, and Lifespark to explore how end-of-life doulas are being integrated into care organizations and the evolving role they play in supporting patients and families. Panelists will discuss how doulas contribute presence, education, and emotional support while working alongside healthcare teams in both volunteer and paid capacities. The conversation will also examine who is entering the doula field, how organizations introduce doula services to families, and the growing awareness of this support within end-of-life care. Panelists will reflect on broader national trends, including questions around training, oversight, and how doulas fit into existing care systems. The discussion will conclude with a look toward the future of the field and how the community might balance volunteer service with the development of sustainable paid opportunities for doulas.

Time: 7- 8:30 PM CT

Speakers:

Taylor Vick: Taylor is an end-of-life doula and musician whose work is guided by a deep reverence for the sacredness of life and death. She brings years of experience volunteering with Hospice, supporting residents in skilled nursing facilities, and facilitating in-depth mortality meditations for her community. At the heart of her work is inclusive, compassionate care that honors the whole person. Outside of her work, Taylor can often be found forest bathing, reading, or writing songs. At The Bardo, Taylor is the Volunteer Coordinator and Death Doula.

Kerry Keenan: Kerry’s passion for delivering quality health care has guided her role as a nurse for 31 years (25 of these years in hospice), in addition to geriatric nursing, nursing education, and leadership. She dedicated 12 years of her full-time career to academia as a faculty and director at Century College in White Bear Lake. Kerry has presented both locally and nationally, served as a surveyor for NLNAC, and has been very involved in healthcare curriculum development at the college and state level. She currently serves on the Practice & Standards Committee for MNHPC and is a consultant for the MN State Board of Nursing. Kerry began her career as a nursing assistant, returning to school to obtain her LPN, ADN, BSN (College of St. Catherine) degrees and eventually her MA in nursing education at Bethel University. You could say she enjoys learning and expanding her knowledge as a lifelong learner. In addition, Kerry is committed to mentoring others in nursing and end of life care to improve collaboration and impact quality care delivery.

Katie Uphus: In 2018, inspired by her parents’ aging experience, Katie made a career transition from advertising agency executive to end-of-life work. After Doula training with INELDA, she was a full-time hospice volunteer and eventually took a position at Lifespark leading the Hospice Volunteer program. She also supports the amazing Full Circle Care Doula program at Lifespark’s three skilled nursing communities where a team of doulas (paid and volunteer) provide personalized support to dying residents. Inviting people from the larger community into senior living communities has become her passion, as well as advocating for better dementia care. With Dementia eclipsing Cancer as the number one hospice-qualifying diagnosis, there is a growing need for better education and training. Baby Boomers are aging into the late-life demographic with longer life expectancy, so the need is urgent! Much like the advancement of death literacy that we see today, we need better dementia literacy; the two are intertwined. Katie continues to learn from experts like Teepa Snow and looks forward to inspiring and empowering others to show up and provide real companionship, engagement, and comfort to our deserving seniors!  

Scott Morgan: Scott Morgan is an end-of-life doula based in New York City who believes that the final chapter of life should be met with presence, dignity, and care. His path to this work was shaped by witnessing both suffering and compassion during the AIDS crisis, as well as the experience of accompanying loved ones through death. After earning an MPA from New York University and spending more than two decades working in global health and nonprofit leadership—including supporting community-based health programs in Haiti—Scott felt called to focus more directly on the human experience of dying. Trained through the Peaceful Presence Project and serving on the Board of Directors of the National End-of-Life Doula Alliance, he supports individuals and families as they navigate the final stage of life. Scott offers calm companionship, guidance, and reassurance—helping people move through this profound transition with support, meaning, and a sense of returning home.

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