Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN

HomeDirectoryJoan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN
Joan Carpenter, PhD, CRNP, ACHPN, FPCN
  • Associate Professor
    Organizational Systems and Adult Health
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Phone:
410-706-2585
Email:
I am currently accepting new PhD students.

Education

  • BSN, Nursing, Pennsylvania State University
  • MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner, Medical College of Georgia
  • PhD, Nursing Science, University of Utah
  • Graduate Certificate, Nursing Education, University of Utah
  • Postgraduate Research Fellowship, Nursing Science, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs/University of Pennsylvania

Contracts, Fellowships, Grants, and Sponsored Research

  • Date:
    2020 - 2025
    Title:
    Nursing Faculty Fellowship; Nurse Support Program II
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Maryland Higher Education Commission
    Role:
    Principal
  • Date:
    2020 - 2025
    Title:
    Preferences Elicited and Respected for Seriously-Ill Veterans through Enhanced Decision-Making
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Veterans’ Health Administration, HSRD QUERI Program
    Role:
    Co-Investigator
  • Date:
    2022 - 2025
    Title:
    Improving Access to Dementia Palliative Care in Nursing Homes
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Betty Irene Moore Fellowship for Nurse Leaders and Innovators
    Role:
    Principal
  • Date:
    2022 - 2024
    Title:
    Patient & Caregiver Relevant Outcomes Core Executive Committee
    Sponsoring Organization:
    NIH/NIA AD/ADRD Health Care Systems Research IMPACT Collaboratory
    Role:
    Other
  • Date:
    2024 - 2025
    Title:
    Partnership to Study Palliative Care in Nursing Homes
    Sponsoring Organization:
    University of Maryland, Baltimore Institute for Clinical & Translational Research Community Engaged Research Voucher Program
    Role:
    Principal
  • Date:
    2024 - 2025
    Title:
    Partnership to Study Palliative Care in Nursing Homes
    Sponsoring Organization:
    University of Maryland, Baltimore Institute for Clinical & Translational Research Community Engaged Research Voucher Program
    Role:
    Principal
  • Date:
    2024 - 2025
    Title:
    The NH Explanatory Trials Network: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing Partnerships (The NEXT STEPS)
    Sponsoring Organization:
    NIH/NIA
    Role:

Research Interests

  • Educated and trained as an advance practice nurse and scientist, I have over twenty years of experience working with people with serious and complex illness. I collaborate with nursing homes and interdisciplinary health professionals to implement evidence-based practices and test complex interventions that support high quality palliative care.

Research Activity

  • Duration:
    2015 - Current
    Title:
    Health Scientist, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC)
    Status:
    On-Going
  • Duration:
    2021 - Current
    Title:
    Faculty, University of Maryland, Baltimore, PhD in Palliative Care
    Status:
    On-Going
  • Duration:
    2023 - Current
    Title:
    Regular Graduate Faculty, University of Maryland, Baltimore
    Status:
    On-Going
  • Duration:
    2023 - Current
    Title:
    Affiliate, Doctoral Program in Gerontology, University of Maryland, Baltimore and University of Maryland, Baltimore County
    Status:
    On-Going

Publications

  • Carpenter, J., Jackson, A., Hodgson, N., Zhu, S., Gurlu, M., Hanson, L. C., et al. (2025, February 1). Results of a Feasibility Pilot Pragmatic Trial Implementing Palliative Care in Skilled Nursing Facilities.. Journal of palliative medicine, 28 (2), 167-174. doi:10.1089/jpm.2024.0264
  • Cole, C. S., Jackson, A., Bennett, C. R., Fink, R. M., Unroe, K. T., Levy, C. R., et al. (2025, April (2nd Quarter/Spring) 1). Nursing Home Palliative Care Referral Process, Barriers, and Proposed Solutions: A Qualitative Study.. Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 44 (4), 582-590. doi:10.1177/07334648241286326
  • Carpenter, J., Hanson, L. C., Demiris, G., Hodgson, N. & Ersek, M. (2025, March 19). Key informants' perceptions of telehealth palliative care for people living with dementia in nursing homes.. BMC geriatrics, 25 (1), 187. doi:10.1186/s12877-025-05820-0
  • Douglas, N. F., Snell, A. & Carpenter, J. (2024, February 1). Staff Perspectives on Dementia Care in Nursing Homes: A Pre-Implementation, Content Analysis Study Guided by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model.. Journal of gerontological nursing, 50 (2), 5-9. doi:10.3928/00989134-20231215-01
  • Carpenter, J., Murthi, J., Langford, M. & Lopez, R. P. (2024, August 1). A Nurse Practitioner-Driven Palliative and Supportive Care Service in Nursing Homes: Evaluation of a Quality Improvement Project.. Journal of hospice and palliative nursing : JHPN : the official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, 26 (4), 205-211. doi:10.1097/NJH.0000000000001028
  • Walton, L., Courtright, K., Demiris, G., Gorman, E. F., Jackson, A. & Carpenter, J. (2023, March 1). Telehealth Palliative Care in Nursing Homes: A Scoping Review.. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 24 (3), 356-367.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2023.01.004
  • Gabbard, J. L., Carpenter, J., Ernecoff, N. C., Mournighan, K., Cornea, I., McKone, M., et al. (2023, November 1). Evaluating the pragmatic characteristics of advance care planning outcome measures in dementia clinical trials: A scoping review.. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 71 (11), 3595-3608. doi:10.1111/jgs.18495
  • Carpenter, J., Scott, W. J., Kononowech, J., Foglia, M. B., Haverhals, L. M., Hogikyan, R., et al. (2022, March 8). Evaluating implementation strategies to support documentation of veterans' care preferences.. Health services research. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.13958
  • Hurley, S. L., DeSanto-Madeya, S., Fortney, C. A., Izumi, S., Phongtankuel, V. & Carpenter, J. (2022, February). Building Strong Clinician-Researcher Collaborations for Successful Hospice and Palliative Care Research. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 24 (1), 64-69. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). doi:10.1097/njh.0000000000000818
  • Carpenter, J., Lam, K., Ritter, A. Z. & Ersek, M. (2020, May 1). A Systematic Review of Nursing Home Palliative Care Interventions: Characteristics and Outcomes.. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 21 (5), 583-596.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2019.11.015

See a full list of published work.

Presentations

  • Year:
    2023
    Title:
    Long-Term Care Staff and Resident Risk Perceptions During COVID-19 Public Health Crisis
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Penn State Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing College of Geriatric Nursing Excellence Seminar Series
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Penn State
  • Year:
    2025
    Title:
    Variations in Palliative Care Consultations for Nursing Home Residents with and Without Dementia
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care
    Sponsoring Organization:
    AAHPM/HPNA
    Location:
    Denver CO
  • Year:
    2025
    Title:
    Partnership to Study Palliative Care in Nursing Homes
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care
    Sponsoring Organization:
    AAHPM/HPNA
    Location:
    Denver CO
  • Year:
    2025
    Title:
    Implementing and Testing a Primary Palliative Care Intervention in Nursing Homes
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care
    Sponsoring Organization:
    AAHPM/HPNA
    Location:
    Denver CO
  • Year:
    2024
    Title:
    Pre-implementation of a quality improvement program for Veterans living in community nursing homes
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Gerontological Society of America 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Gerontological Society of America
    Location:
    Seattle WA
  • Year:
    2024
    Title:
    Ensuring Success:Essential Characteristics of Clinical Site Champions
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    17th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health
    Sponsoring Organization:
    Academy Health
    Location:
    Washington DC
  • Year:
    2024
    Title:
    Associations Between Veterans Health Administration Nursing Home Star Ratings and Quality End of Life Care
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    2024 State of the Science of Hospice and Palliative Care
    Sponsoring Organization:
    AAHPM
    Location:
    Phoenix AZ
  • Year:
    2023
    Title:
    “People need to know they matter to somebody”: Interdisciplinary Staff Perceptions of Compassionate Care Visits for Seriously Ill Residents in Nursing Homes.
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care
    Sponsoring Organization:
    AAHPM/HPNA
  • Year:
    2022
    Title:
    Nursing Home Staff Risk Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    Conference/Meeting Name:
    Gerontological Society of America 2022 Annual Scientific Meeting
    Sponsoring Organization:
    GSA
    Location:
    Indianapolis IN

Areas of Specialization

  • Gerontology; Palliative Care; Post-acute and Long-term Care in Nursing Homes

Media Appearances and Interviews

Honors/Awards

  • Name:
    Excellence in Research Award
    Sponsoring organization:
    Gerontological Advance Practice Nurses Association’s
    Date:
    September 2024
  • Name:
    New Investigator Award
    Sponsoring organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
    Date:
    2020
  • Name:
    Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing
    Sponsoring organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
    Date:
    2018
  • Name:
    ACHPN® of the Year Award
    Sponsoring organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Credentialing Center
    Date:
    2016
  • Name:
    Research Scholar
    Sponsoring organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
    Date:
    2016
  • Name:
    Research Scholar
    Sponsoring organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
    Date:
    2015
  • Name:
    Outstanding Poster Abstract, Predoctoral Scholar
    Sponsoring organization:
    NINR Symposium, Advancing Science Improving Lives
    Date:
    2015

Academic and Professional Activities

Professional

  • Date:
    2025 - Current
    Organization:
    Maryland Medical Directors Association Education Committee
    Role:
    Committee Member
  • Date:
    2024 - Current
    Organization:
    AAHPM 2026 State of the Science in Palliative Care
    Role:
    Chairperson
  • Date:
    2024 - 2024
    Organization:
    Planning Committee Member, 2024 Team Conference for Hospice & Palliative Care, Sponsored by HPNA
    Role:
    Conference-Related
  • Date:
    2023 - 2023
    Organization:
    Planning Committee Member, 2023 Gerontological Society of America, Health Science Section
    Role:
    Program Organizer
  • Date:
    2023 - 2024
    Organization:
    AAHPM State of the Science in Hospice and Palliative Care Program Committee
    Role:
    Program Organizer
  • Date:
    2018 - 2019
    Organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Research Agenda Task Force
    Role:
    Committee Chair
  • Date:
    2017 - 2020
    Organization:
    Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association Research Advisory Council
    Role:
    Committee Member
  • Date:
    2015 - 2016
    Organization:
    Gerontological Advance Practice Nurses Association Nominating Committee
    Role:
    Committee Chair
  • Date:
    2011 - 2012
    Organization:
    National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses Nursing Assistant Exam Development Committee
    Role:
    Committee Chair

Public

  • Date:
    2021 - Current
    Organization:
    Coastal Hospice and Palliative Care Caregiver Academy
    Role:
    Guest Speaker