Expert pediatric palliative care support

Transitions Kids Care Team

Meet the compassionate Transitions Kids team dedicated to providing expert pediatric palliative care support for children and families at home.

Supporting children and families through serious illness, loss, love, grief, & everything in between

Compassionate Care for Every Part of the Journey

Transitions Kids compassionately cares for children, families, and communities significantly impacted by illness or loss. Through education, advocacy, and meaningful experiences, the program walks alongside families on a sacred journey filled with love, resilience, exasperation, grief, and triumph. With a vision to innovate and advance pediatric palliative care, hospice, and bereavement support, Transitions Kids helps families feel seen, supported, and never alone.

Transitions Kids Team

Leadership Team

LaShandra McLaughlin, DSW, LCSW, AHPSW-C

Director of Transitions Kids

If I could have one superpower, it would be Power Bestowal: the ability to bestow powers or jump-start latent powers. I choose this superpower because nurturing people’s gifts and hidden potential creates a constellation of magic that expands far beyond what can be reached by an individual.

LaShandra McLaughlin, DSW, LCSW, AHPSW-C

Sophia Paraschos, MD

Pediatric Medical Director
Hospice & Palliative Medicine Physician

I turned to my trusted universe of Harry Potter for an answer. Apparition (the power to disappear and reappear in a different place instantly) would significantly cut down on time to be where we are most needed in the most timely fashion – a truly useful power in our line of work.

Sophia Paraschos, MD

Zach Nusbaum, M.Div.

Pediatric Palliative Care Specialist – Preceptor

If I could have a superpower, I would choose Realm-Walking, the ability to easefully travel to (and fully adapt to) any realm or dimension in creation. There is such an abundance of mystery, and I would like to be able to explore it without restraint and bring back some of that magic and wonder to this place where we are.

Zach Nusbaum, M.Div.

Emily Parker, BSN, RN, CPN

Pediatric Palliative Care Specialist-Preceptor

There are many superpowers that I would love to possess, and they all bring with them advantages, but I decided on the superpower of Omni-Lingualism. With this superpower, I could instantly learn, speak, and understand any language fluently. If I had this power, I could communicate with any family regardless of where they are from or what language they speak. Until I acquire this superpower, I will continue to use interpreters.

Emily Parker, BSN, RN, CPN

Pediatric Palliative Care Team

Medical Support Specialists

Roxanne Baker, RN

Nurse

My superpower would be invisibility, so I can easily take a moment to myself to ground and center, thus being able to show up with more presence for the people around me.

Roxanne Baker, RN

Alexis White BSN, RN

Nurse

I would love to have the super power to control the weather! I would want mostly sunny, breezy days with the occasional calming thunderstorm!

Alexis White BSN, RN

Anna Mickel-Hulse MSN, RN, CPN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower would be the ability to understand and speak every language so I could reduce barriers to care (and also talk to my cat)!

Anna Mickel-Hulse MSN, RN, CPN

Family Support Specialists

Siena Donovin, MSW, LCSWA

Family Support Specialist

If I had a superpower, I would want it to be teleportation so that I could travel the world, see places I have always wanted to see, and visit people that I don’t get to see often enough.

Siena Donovin, MSW, LCSWA

Taylor Davis, MSW

Family Support Specialist

If I could have one superhero power, I would want the ability to read minds in moments of need. Being able to read others minds in moments of need would allow me to help and extend support without needing a verbal cue to do so. Helping others is my passion and why wait for someone to ask for help when I could provide exactly what they need without them even needing to ask.

Taylor Davis, MSW

Physician Team

MJ Steele, MD

Pediatric Physician

My superpower would be shape-shifting – the ability to turn into another form. Imagine getting to be a blue whale or a baboon or a kangaroo for the day! The possibilities are endless.

MJ Steele, MD

On-Call Team

Pamela McDonald, MSN, RN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower would be unlimited access to sound waves so I can hear music and voice from any culture in human history.

Pamela McDonald, MSN, RN

Kristen Balboni, BSN, RN

On-Call Nurse

I would choose elastigirl abilities (super stretching) because then I would always be within reaching distance of a snack. It would also be helpful to reach the top shelves without having to climb on things.

Kristen Balboni, BSN, RN

Jaclyn McKinley, RN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower would be self-duplication. This would allow me to be productive, have fun, be with family, and sleep ALL AT THE SAME TIME!

Jaclyn McKinley, RN

Adriana Aleman-Crane, RN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower would be mind reading. This would impact not only how I react to a person or situation but could also be used as an advantage to help diffuse conflicts.

Adriana Aleman-Crane, RN

Tess Booker, RN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower: I would have multi-arms to do many tasks at once to be more productive.

Tess Booker, RN

Michelle Smith, RN

On-Call Nurse

My superpower would be to have a super memory… as I get older I realize there’s only so many parking spaces up there and some facts/memories just have to move out to make space for new. I would love to be able to not lose the precious memories of all my loved ones and also remember where I left my phone!

Michelle Smith, RN

Bereavement Team

Brecklyn Walters, MSW

Pediatric Bereavement Specialist

If I could have any superpower I would choose astral projection, the ability to traverse different planes of consciousness and existence through out of body experience. I’d love to access and share teachings and new ways of perceiving outside the conventions of time and space.

Brecklyn Walters, MSW

Clinical Support Team

Kelsey Schimmel, RN

Resource Coordinator

If I could have one superpower, it would be Multi-Location. As the mom of three young kids who is attempting to work from home, it would be amazing to be able to devote my full attention to one task at a time as opposed to doing three to four at a time!

Kelsey Schimmel, RN

Clinical Resource Coordinating Team

Lauren Meredith, MA

Clinical Resource Coordinator

If I could have a superpower, it would be to read other people’s minds. I want to listen to people’s true thoughts.

Lauren Meredith, MA

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