NIJH Accreditation Conference

Shirley Lamm, together with her husband Rabbi Dr. Maurice Lamm, founded the National Institute for Jewish Hospice in 1985. Since her husband Rabbi Maurice Lamm died, she has taken the title of President. and oversees all of its activities, fund raising and the NIJH emergency hotline. She oversees three offices (California, Florida & New York) on a daily basis.

She has counseled over 1,100 families in crisis through the NIJH hotline, offering guidance to terminal patients. Her administrative capacity has assured National Institute for Jewish Hospice’s survival and excellent service.

Shirley Lamm was the leader of many prominent synagogues together with her husband, most notably Beth Jacob in Beverly Hills, California. She was an officer and board member of many Jewish organizations. She has written many articles on timely Jewish topics, and created many programs to benefit the Jewish community.

Rabbi Young is an educator and lecturer with over 30 years of experience. He has been with NIJH since 2009. He is the Education Director at NIJH, and oversees the NIJH Conference and publications.

Leah Horowitz, Care Navigator, The Center for Culturally Sensitive Health Advocacy and Counseling, New York. Leah sensitizes the medical community to incorporate religious and cultural beliefs in their approach to medical care, raising consciousness for the Jewish Orthodox community and all cultures. She works extensively with the medical staff of major New York hospitals, such as; Mt Sinai Medical Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Maimonides Medical Center, NYU Langone, Northwell Health System, New York Presbyterian and many more.

Dr. Michelle Trotter-Mathison, PhD, LP, is a psychologist who has worked with individuals and groups in college counseling centers, community mental health clinics, a state psychiatric hospital and in private practice. She is considered to be a leader in the field of burnout and self-care, and the co-author of The Resilient Practitioner, a text on burnout and compassion, fatigue prevention and self-care strategies for the helping professions. She is also the co-editor of Voices from the Field: Defining Moments in Counselor and Therapist Development.

Dr. Barry Kinzbrunner was the Executive Vice President & Chief Medical Officer, Vitas Innovative Hospice Care. He is also a Consultant in JDC- Eshel Palliative and Spiritual Care, Jerusalem, Israel, and an Assistant Professor at the Miller School of Medicine of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida.

A national leader in defining the role of the hospice medical director, he has extensive experience developing professional performance standards, pain and symptom management guidelines, quality assurance, and hospice and palliative care education.

He was the lead author of 20 Common Problems in End-of-Life Care, and has published over 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals.