Board of Directors 2024-2025

A seasoned Physician Associate with 24 years of healthcare experience, Tracey is dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals facing serious illness. Her expertise in palliative care focuses on empowering patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions, including advance care planning.

She is passionate about normalizing conversations around death and dying, and works tirelessly to improve access to compassionate end-of-life care. Through national speaking engagements and collaborative initiatives, Tracey strives to create a healthcare system where every patient and family receives the support they deserve.

Tracey’s commitment to evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and professional advocacy drive her work as she supports patients and families in navigating complex healthcare journeys. In 2024, PA Piparo joined the National Emergency and Palliative Medicine Initiative of Compassion and Choices to expand access to palliative care within emergency departments.

She lives in Allentown, NJ with her firefighter husband and two growing boys and enjoys family workouts in their garage gym, occasional hikes throughout NJ, visits to the shore, good food and even better wine, as well as a good evening of mindless television.

Favorite Quote: 

"So what is the magic formula, I hear you ask. It's H ≥ e – E. Or in other words: happiness is greater than or equal to the events of life, minus the expectations of life."  -Mo Gawdat

I am a practicing physician assistant (PA) in palliative care (PC) with experience in both community-based and academic medical centers. Through serendipitous experiences, I identified a passion at the crossroads of health literacy, socioeconomic status, cultural variability, and medical practice in the US, with specific passion in working with persons living with serious illness(es).

While practicing as a PC PA, I have come across many obstacles, gaps, and roadblocks that serve as barriers to the delivery of specialty level PC for persons in need, which has expanded my passion to focus on enhancing infrastructure, business models, education, and research in the field with intent to positively impact the future landscape of PC in the US.

As such, my professional goals are to develop and sustain initiatives in PC that will provide an infrastructure to support consistent high-quality PC specialty services to patients and loved ones in need.

Favorite Quote: 

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Rachael is a PA having completed school at Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA, and is starting her Hospice & Palliative Medicine fellowship at St. Luke's. She started her medical career as an EMT in 2018 and continues to pick up shifts on the ambulance today. Rachael first became interested in palliative medicine while working in the emergency department of a children’s hospital in Philadelphia. She is passionate about improving the visibility of, and access to, palliative and hospice medicine, particularly in medically marginalized communities. Additionally, Rachael aims to promote the field at the student level and advocate for greater inclusion of palliative and hospice medicine in PA school curricula.

This year, Rachael is excited to be completing an elective rotation in palliative and hospice medicine. She lives in a suburb of Philadelphia with her fiancé, dog, and two cats. In her free time, Rachael enjoys going to the gym. She is also working on cooking every country's national dish in alphabetical order with her fiancé, documenting their journey on Instagram (@mike.rachael.cooktheworld). 

Favorite Quote: 

“Sometimes we can offer a cure, sometimes only a salve, sometimes not even that. But whatever we can offer, our interventions, and the risks and sacrifices they entail, are justified only if they serve the larger aims of a person’s life. When we forget that, the suffering we inflict can be barbaric. When we remember it the good we do can be breathtaking.” - Atul Gawande, Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End

I graduated from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science with a Masters in Physician Assistant Practice in 2006. I then completed a surgical residency at Norwalk Hospital/Yale University in 2007. I received my CAQ in Palliative Medicine and Hospice Care in 2023.

I started my career off in General and Vascular Surgery, followed by Hematology/Oncology and then found my calling with Palliative Care. I have seen all sides of Palliative Care over my many years in the field, working in Inpatient Palliative Care, an outpatient clinic in Palliative Oncology and most recently, in-home Palliative Care. The inpatient experience was my absolute favorite! 

Most recently I made a career move from clinical work to academia. Palliative medicine remains my passion and I want to work to expand Palliative Medicine education for those new PAs in the classroom early on.

Favorite Quote: 

"Books, minds, and umbrellas only work when they are open."   -unknown

I am honored to express my interest in serving as Treasurer for PAHPM. As a dedicated member of the palliative care community, I am passionate about advancing our field through strong leadership, fiscal responsibility, and collaborative vision. I view the Treasurer role as a vital opportunity to contribute to the financial health and strategic growth of PAHPM, ensuring our resources are effectively managed to support education, advocacy, and member engagement. I am excited about the chance to serve and help guide the organization’s future through thoughtful stewardship and a shared vision of compassionate care.

I am eager to contribute my skills and passion to support the organization’s mission, foster collaboration, and drive initiatives that enhance compassionate, patient-centered care and show the commuity who we are! Mentorship is a core value for me, having been a certified clinical instructor in a previous role. Through my strong connections with my university and active participation in faculty-led organizations, I have unique opportunities to raise awareness of PAHPM and the vital role of palliative care among current PA students. I am dedicated to paving new paths for recent graduates who aspire to build careers in hospice and palliative medicine. This could include developing targeted mentorship programs, creating internship or shadowing opportunities, and collaborating with educational institutions to integrate palliative care topics more thoroughly into PA curricula. I am also eager to contribute by participating in advocacy efforts—having served as Outreach Chair for my PA school’s organization, HPASS, I developed a strong passion for representation and effectively communicating the goals and mission of an organization to diverse audiences. This experience has equipped me with skills in networking, community engagement, and strategic communication, all of which I am excited to bring to PAHPM. I believe that clear, consistent messaging and active member engagement are essential to advancing the organization’s objectives and increasing awareness of the vital role physician associates play in hospice and palliative care. I am truly excited about the opportunity to contribute to PAHPM’s mission and to be part of a community dedicated to compassionate, patient-centered care. This role feels like a natural extension of my passion for hospice and palliative medicine, and I am eager to bring my energy, ideas, and commitment to help our profession grow and thrive. Being part of this Board would not only allow me to give back but also to help inspire and support others who share this calling.

Rebekah has been a Physician Associate for 31 years. She currently works in the Neonatal and Infant Critical Care Unit at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital of Orange County in Mission Viejo. She is a proponent of primary palliative care in the critical care setting, as well as thoughtful communication with patients and their families. Outside of her clinical duties she is active at the national level in advocating for children’s health care issues through American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) and with in the House of Delegates (AAPA). She sits on 3 committees at the national level representing PA practice in Hospice/Palliative care and ethics (National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care: Pediatric Division. National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, Ethics Advisory Council.) Her personal philosophy embraces the family as an integral part of the health care team. She remains a proponent of family centered care delivered in a culturally appropriate manner. Her spare time is spent traveling and exploring the underwater world and outdoors with my family, gardening and reading.

Favorite Quote:

"It is not about death but how you live between now and then: make each moment of the journey count, really listen, be a catalyst, pave the way for the future, be the candle that lights 1000 others…"

I have been a member of PAHPM since 2022 after learning about the organization while
participating in the CSU Shiley Haynes Institute for Palliative Care PA Certificate in Palliative
and Serious Illness Care program. Many of my instructors were PAHPM board members and
trailblazers in this relatively new field for PA-Cs. I have watched many of these individuals
represent palliative medicine at a national level since, specifically through lecturing at major
conferences, and have been inspired by their collective impact. I have spent the last four years
diving headfirst into specialty palliative care and although my learning continues, I am at a point
in my journey where I feel ready to share my knowledge and take my involvement in this
organization to the next level under the tutelage of some amazing providers/fellow PAHPM
members (put me in coach)!
Why Chief Delegate? I must confess that middle-school civics curriculum did not enthrall me,
but I learned very early on that to be a change agent having in depth knowledge of the legislative
process and its impact on the practice of medicine and public health is crucial. I want to highlight
a few experiences that I feel make me a prime candidate for the Chief Delegate position.
Through my involvement on both the DAPA and DCAPA boards, I have served as a fierce
advocate and proud ambassador for the PA profession since I was in graduate school. I have
continued this advocacy and ambassadorship by serving as a governor appointed member of the
Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline (their first APC member) as well as a
member and the chair of the PA Council for Delaware. I am honored to be serving Delaware
citizens (my patients) and my colleagues in this manner. The experience has allowed me to
interact with healthcare professionals outside of a hospital setting and throughout hospital
systems in neighboring counties, exposing me to a multitude of new perspectives, while challenging me to keep abreast of state legislation and regulations as it pertains to medical best
practices in Delaware. As Legislative Chair of my hospital system’s APC Council I also work
closely with hospital lobbyists and regional AAPA staff members to ensure that I am up to date
on legislation and regulations that impact PA-C’s practice of medicine. As a professional
member of the DE Medical Board I am also a fellow of the Federation of State Medical Boards
and recently represented Delaware nationally as the state voting member for their HOD. Having
also served as Delaware’s AAPA HOD Chief Delegate in the past, I feel comfortable reviewing
topics of discussion, formulating our collective stance and advocating on our organization’s
behalf.