FACULTY & STAFF

Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Melissa Palmer

Melissa Palmer LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD

MSPC Director

Melissa started her career as an undergraduate psychology graduate working in community-based children’s programs in the Mountains of Northern Appalachia. After her graduate studies in Master’s in Social Work/Juris Doctor program at the University of Denver, Melissa’s practice expanded to mental health and medical social work at Sutter Health. In 2005, she teamed with the local hospice director and nurse to design and implement a hospital based palliative care program in Northern California. She moved to Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2007 where she worked as an inpatient palliative care social worker. When Melissa and her family moved back to Colorado in 2014, she teamed with a nurse practitioner at a home-based community palliative care program that served Colorado Foothills communities. She currently works at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus on the inpatient palliative care team. Melissa Palmer received her certification for advance practice social worker in the field of hospice and palliative care (ACHP-SW in 2017 and APHSW-C in 2019). In January 2021, Melissa transitioned to the MSPC Director and Allied Health lead.


Faculty Affiliations

Medicine

  • Ashley Dixon Anderson MD
  • Stacy Fischer, MD
  • Cari Levy, MD, PhD
  • Meret Marangola, DO
  • Dan Matlock, MD
  • Colleen McIlvennan, MD
  • Nellie O'Connor, MD
  • Maurice (Scotty) Scott, MD
  • Jen Seibert, MD
  • Christina Vaughan, MD
  • Jeanie Youngwerth, MD

Nursing

  • Stacy Anderson, DNP
  • Harri Brackett, RN, MS, ACHPN
  • Heather Coats, PhD, MS, APRN-BC
  • Ami De Rama, DNP

Physician Assistant

  • Amber Maniates, PA-C

Social Work

  • Melissa C Palmer, JD LCSW ACHP-SW APHSW-C

Spiritual Care

  • Kelly Arora, PhD
  • Jana Miner, MDiv

Psychology

  • Elissa Kolva, PhD

Ethics

  • Anne Dondapati Allen, PhD, MDiv

Librarian

  • Kristen DeSanto, MSLS, MS, RD, AHIP


Support Staff

Program Manager

  • Ashley Ertmer

Program Coordinator 

  • Bailee Bannon Murray

Distance Degrees and Programs

  • Graduate School

Medicine

  • Jacob Green


University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Partners

The CU Anschutz Medical Campus houses a network of collaborative faculty and staff who are housed in one or more schools, colleges, or facilities. Below is a list of our closest university partners.

External Affiliations

Our program faculty are members of a vast network of health professionals. Below is a list of networks and organizations in which our faculty belong. Our program is often represented at the conferences and other organized events hosted by these organizations. 

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