Giving Thanks for Post-Acute & Long-Term Medicine
Dear Friends,
Gratitude connects us—it strengthens our community and reminds us of those who have shaped our journeys in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) medicine. As we reflect on this past year, we invite you to honor the mentors, colleagues, and friends who have inspired your work with a Gift of Gratitude to the Foundation. Each honoree will receive a personalized Gratitude Card recognizing your thoughtful gift.
Now in its 4th year, our “Giving Thanks for PALTC” campaign celebrates the people who make this field extraordinary. Your generosity fuels the Foundation’s mission—supporting vital programs like the Futures Program, which has provided more than $1.4 million in scholarships to over 1,500 emerging practitioners, and funding $50,000 in research and clinical initiatives in 2025 alone, while providing funds through endowed scholarships that support our clinicians to engage and connect on the national PALTC professional stage.
This season, join us in giving thanks—and giving back—to strengthen the future of PALTC medicine. Here are a few donor highlights of those gifting gratitude this holiday season…
Leslie Eber, MD, CMD, President-Elect, PALTmed
I first started practicing in post-acute and long-term care medicine so I could balance the two things I love most: my family and the practice of medicine. I quickly found wonderful connections with the residents in PALTC, but the transition from primary care to this new setting was very challenging. Everything from ordering labs to sending a resident for a consultation was different. A few key things helped me adjust, and one of them started when the head of our practice, Dr. Mike Wasserman, brought me to my first PATLMed/AMDA Colorado chapter meeting. At this meeting, everyone was warm, welcoming, and profoundly knowledgeable. I met incredible colleagues and mentors like Karyn Leible and Cari Levy, and I knew that I had found my community.
I often say that working in post-acute and long-term care is like walking into “Cheers — where everyone knows your name”. It is this sense of connection and belonging that adds another layer of meaning to my work in post-acute and long term care medicine. I feel such a sense of pride and purpose working in a space where I can serve the needs of so many in a community I care about so deeply.
PALTMed has consistently provided me with a community to lean on and learn from while practicing in PALTC. PALTMed means that I have someone to call when I have questions, ideas, or concerns. My PALTMed colleagues continue to inspire me and demonstrate what is possible in post-acute and long term care medicine. Learning from my PALTMed community has been one of the greatest gifts of my professional career. It has enabled me to elevate the care I provide and be part of a community that values the people we care for and the quality of care we provide them. The PALTMed Foundation has played an essential role in strengthening our community by providing the means to create the tools and resources we need to be the best clinicians in the field. As we continue to navigate an ever-changing landscape, I am constantly reminded that being a part of the PALTmed community has made all the difference in my career.
Adnan Hussain, PT, MBA, Futures Participant, Annual Gifts Committee, PALTC Foundation
What stands out most from your Futures experience?
What stood out most to me from the Futures program was the opportunity to connect with passionate peers and mentors who share the same dedication to improving post-acute and long-term care. The program gave me both the inspiration and the practical tools to think more innovatively about patient care. More importantly, it provided me with the vision that my colleagues have for optimizing care being delivered in post-acute and long-term care settings through both clinical and innovative techniques.
How has the Foundation shaped your growth or goals?
The Foundation has played a meaningful role in shaping my professional growth by helping me refine my leadership skills and deepening my understanding of how policy, research, and frontline care intersect. As a leader in innovation and healthcare, it has encouraged me to set bolder goals for my career—particularly around developing programs that improve quality of life for residents while advancing sustainable care models.
What impact do you hope programs like Futures will have moving forward?
My hope for the Futures program is to continue to build the next generation of leaders who can adapt to the evolving challenges in PALTC. By investing in education, mentorship, and collaboration, these initiatives will not only strengthen our workforce but also transform care delivery for some of the most vulnerable populations we serve.
Sarah D. Holmes, PhD, MSW, PALTC Foundation Grant Recipient
Receiving the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine research grant has been both professionally and personally impactful. The Foundation’s support has enabled our team to implement and test a meaningful activity intervention designed to reduce sedentary behavior among assisted living residents with dementia. The intervention provides staff with education, individualized resident assessments and goal setting, and mentoring to foster engagement in activities that are personally meaningful to residents. This work is aligned with my long-term goal of improving the quality of post-acute and long-term care for older adults living with dementia.
Seeing this work come to life has been especially rewarding. Partnering with staff and residents to create opportunities for meaningful engagement, whether through daily contributions like setting the table or self-care activities, has reinforced the importance of a person-centered meaningful activity approach. Even engaging in small meaningful moments can help to reduce behavioral symptoms, enhance quality of life, and empower both staff and residents. The ability to gather this evidence was only possible because of the Foundation’s investment in research that directly impacts practice in post-acute and long-term care. Looking forward, this award provides the foundation to pursue larger-scale funding and dissemination efforts so that evidence-based strategies can be more broadly implemented across communities.
On a personal level, this research grant has provided not only resources but also encouragement to continue research that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of residents and staff. I would not be on this path without the mentorship of Dr. Barbara Resnick, PhD, CRNP and Dr. Elizabeth Galik, PhD, CRNP, who have been extraordinary role models as both advanced practice nurses and researchers in post-acute and long-term care. I am grateful to Erin O’Brien, MA, RN for her guidance in collaborating with the staff and leaders in these settings, and to Dr. Barbara Zarowitz, PharmD, MSW, Chairperson of the Foundation’s Grants Committee, for her strong support of early-career investigators and commitment to promoting interdisciplinary research. I am truly honored and grateful for the mentorship, support, and the opportunity to contribute to building a stronger evidence base that will shape the future of dementia care.
Robert L. Russell, MD, MBA, PALTC Major Gifts Committee
I first became involved with the Futures Program back in 2010. At the time, I was drawn to the opportunity to learn more about what it truly means to be an engaged and effective medical director — to understand not just the science, but the operational and advocacy aspects of caring for residents in long-term care. The program opened my eyes to how medical direction fits into the bigger picture and showed me how to be a strong advocate for patients and the profession.
What initially drew me into this field was mentorship. I was fortunate to learn from remarkable individuals like Dr. Morley, Dr. Julie Gamick, Dr. Milta Little, and many of the attendings at Xavier. They were strong advocates for AMDA and provided guidance that made me feel connected to a family of colleagues striving toward the same goals. That sense of community stayed with me when I moved to Indiana to serve as an in-house physician for a long-term care company. Meeting other PALTmed (formerly AMDA) members, including Dr. Arif Nazir, who would later become president of the organization, reinforced that feeling — [PALTmed] has always felt like a family, a strong support system that I am deeply grateful for.
My involvement with the Foundation specifically came through the encouragement of two great friends and mentors, Tom Haithcoat and Dr. Steve Buslovich. Their commitment to meaningful work and the way they make involvement both rewarding and fun made it easy for me to say yes. Being part of the Foundation has allowed me to give back while also growing alongside a network of colleagues who share the same passion for improving care.
The experiences and relationships I’ve built through PALTmed and the Foundation have been transformative. Each year, involvement reinvigorates me and reminds me why I chose this work. These connections have guided me from being an attending to a medical director, then to a regional director under the mentorship of Dr. Matt Wayne, and eventually to my current role as Chief Medical Officer. Every professional step I’ve taken has been shaped by the advice, encouragement, and example of colleagues and mentors — from Dr. Budu, Ramsey Nazar, and Dr. Cruz, who gave me my first opportunity to present research at an AMDA convention, to countless others who shared wisdom along the way. I am thankful to all of them for opening my eyes to what’s possible in this field.
Programs like the Futures Program are so vital because they show the next generation of clinicians what is possible and provide the mentorship necessary to navigate a career in post-acute and long-term care. The Foundation’s investment in these programs gives participants a sense of belonging and growth, and that investment in the future of our field is invaluable.
Supporting the Foundation is, in my view, an investment in what we believe in. If you care about improving post-acute and long-term care, your support ensures the organization remains strong, sustainable, and capable of continuing its critical work. I have always believed in this organization — as a past state president and as an active supporter — and I encourage others to do the same.