ANTHONY BACK MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Washington
Dr. Back is the Co-director of University of Washington’s Center for Excellence in Palliative Care and Professor of Medicine at the University of Washington, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Dr. Back earned his MD at Harvard University. He is also the Co-founder of VitalTalk, a national nonprofit that provides innovative, interactive clinician and faculty development courses to improve communication skills with patients and caregivers on an individual and institutional level.

NICHOLAS SAGAR
Eldercare Activity Therapy Clinical Specialist at On Lok
Nicholas Sagar is an Internationally-recognized Health Care ‘Culture Shaper’ in his role as Activity Therapy Clinical Specialist and Manager, who serves frail low-income seniors providing and promoting creativity, healing, and community in eldercare at On Lok in San Francisco. On Lok is the mother of the international-recognized Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Mr. Sager’s commitment focuses on program development, person-centered care, culturally-informed senior care, music therapy, creative arts approaches, and activity therapies.

NAOMI TZRIL SAKS, MA, MDIV, BCC
Palliative Care Chaplain
Naomi Tzril Saks currently serves as the inpatient Palliative Care Chaplain, and Assistant Adjunct Professor, School of Medicine at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). She received a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School, a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from Antioch University. Prior to coming to UCSF Naomi was Director of Spiritual Care and a Palliative Care Specialist with Kaiser Permanente, and founded a national non-profit educational organization focused on economic well-being for women and girls. Naomi has a particular interest in non-pharmacological interventions for pain and suffering, transdisciplinary palliative care, health care disparities at end of life, and cultural humility and pluralism in medicine.

THERESE SCHROEDER-SHEKER
Founder and Dean of Chalice of Repose Project
Musician, clinician, educator and Benedictine oblate, Therese Schroeder-Sheker has been blessed with triple vocations in classical music, education and end-of-life palliative medicine. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as a harpist and singer in 1980, concertized internationally for 35 years; composes and records for Celestial Harmonies, Windham Hill, Sony, Curve Blue and others; held university, institute and seminary academic appointments; been the recipient of numerous awards, fellowships and multi-year grants; been featured in television documentaries for ABC, NBC, CNN; delivered residencies, plenaries or medical grand rounds at over sixty-five American and European university and hospital centers of medical excellence; publishes widely on the women mystics, end-of-life palliative care, music, and the contemplative life. Therese founded the palliative medical modality of music-thanatology and its premiere organization The Chalice of Repose Project.

ZULEIKHA
Founder/Director of The Storydancer Project
Zuleikha is an international performer, educator and wellness leader with an extensive background in dance, music, meditation and healing arts. She is renowned for her Rumi Concert collaborations with poet Coleman Barks and world musicians. Zuleikha’s humanitarian work with transformative self-care has taken her into the field of palliative care. For over 15 years, she has been on an evolutionary journey in the development of palliative modes of relaxation therapy as an adaptive holistic approach to palliative care for cancer patients and their families, called TAKE A MINUTE® For Palliative Care. Zuleikha trains counselors, social workers, doctors and nurses in this work. She is the recipient of a number of humanitarian awards for outstanding work in the world promoting positive personal and social change.