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Roxana E. Delgado, PhD, MS, PNAP

Session Title: Designing Better Care Systems for Military Caregiver Health and Wellbeing

Presenting: June 4, 2026

Dr. Roxana Delgado is a health scientist who earned her PhD from The University of Texas at El Paso and a post-doctoral fellowship at UT Health San Antonio Military Health Institute. She is dedicated to advancing the well-being of the military and Veteran communities.

She serves as a Professor/Military Health Research Scholar and Director of the Caring for the Caregiver Program at UT Health San Antonio’s School of Nursing. She is also a Department of Veterans Affairs-affiliated investigator with the Elizabeth Dole VA Center of Excellence for Veteran and Caregiver Research. She established the Military and Veteran Caregiver Portfolio, a pioneering research platform focused on the short- and long-term health outcomes of caregivers supporting wounded, ill, and injured service members and Veterans. Her research examines predictors of caregiver health outcomes, particularly those related to chronic illness and the long-term trajectory of disease. Notably, her seminal study identifying distress phenotypes as predictors of suicidal ideation among caregivers has influenced both healthcare practice and national policy. Dr. Delgado is the scientific lead for the Caregiver Integrated Care (formerly known as the Campaign for Inclusive Care), where she led the conceptualization, implementation, and multi-phase evaluation of a caregiver-inclusive model adopted within the Veterans Health Administration and now being adapted for broader healthcare systems.

Her professional journey is deeply personal, shaped by her experience as the spouse of a combat Veteran and Purple Heart recipient. This lived experience fuels her passion and commitment to the science of caregiving and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Delgado is a nationally recognized researcher, speaker, and advocate, and she serves on numerous advisory boards to inform Veteran and caregiver policy. An Elizabeth Dole Foundation Fellow representing Texas (2015–2016), Dr. Delgado continues to champion caregivers’ voices through her science, scholarship, and advocacy. Her mission is clear: to help Veterans and their families not only survive the wounds of war, but find ways to heal and thrive together.

Presentation Description: Military and veteran caregivers play a critical yet often underrecognized role in supporting Veterans with complex physical, cognitive, and behavioral health needs. While their contributions are essential to long-term care and recovery, caregivers themselves frequently experience significant challenges to their own health and wellbeing, including chronic stress, burnout, social isolation, and unmet healthcare needs.

This session integrates current research with lived experiences to describe the multidimensional impact of caregiving within military and veteran communities. Drawing on emerging data and personal narratives, we will explore the biopsychosocial effects of caregiving and the gaps that persist across healthcare and support systems.

Participants will gain insight into evidence-informed strategies and innovative models to strengthen caregiver support in palliative and interdisciplinary care settings. The session will highlight opportunities to design more responsive, equitable, and caregiver-centered systems, ensuring that those who care for our nation’s warfighters are themselves seen, supported, and sustained.

Cara L. Wallace, PhD, LMSW,

APHSW-C

Session Title: Personal Narratives in the Development of the Palliative Care Professional

Presenting: June 5, 2026

Dr. Cara Wallace is Votsmier Endowed Chair and Professor in the School of Nursing at Saint Louis University, with a secondary appointment in Social Work. A former hospice and hospital social worker, her research focuses on barriers, access, and quality of end-of-life care. Dr. Wallace has been published/featured in USA Today, Health Affairs Forefront, Geri-Pal, St. Louis Public Radio, and The Excerpt. A NIH-funded researcher, she has nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-editor of the 2024 OUP textbook, Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care. She is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Co-Director of the Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work’s Pre-Dissertation Fellowship Program, and a 2020 Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholar. She is also the 2020 recipient of the Social Work Hospice & Palliative Care Network’s Award for Excellence in Psychosocial Research.

Presentation Description: Increasingly, stories and narratives are utilized in education and clinical experiences. Critical reflection is a core aspect of narrative practice, providing the narrative competence to “recognize, absorb, interpret, and honor” the stories of self and others. In this session, participants will be exposed to literature and theory on narrative practices and will consider how they relate to one’s own role as a professional in palliative care. Drawing from Dr. Wallace’s own interprofessional team experiences, her research, and the impactful stories that shape her own professional work, participants will have the opportunity to learn narrative techniques and engage through interactive exercises and personal reflection surrounding their own stories and the lessons they might impart. Participants will be invited to connect to, interpret, and honor the stories shared during the session as a practical example of how narratives may enrich communication and collaborative practices across palliative care roles and settings.