Sumi Misra, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Medicine

Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Misra is the section chief of palliative care at the Veterans Administration Hospital (VA) and is a board-certified geriatrician and palliative care physician who leads key aging-related programs at the VA and VUMC. With her training and experience, Dr. Misra is uniquely poised to lead the ENHANCE project.

Mohana Karlekar, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine

Division of General Internal Medicine and Public Health

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Karlekar is the section chief of palliative care at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She serves in leadership roles in palliative care at the local, regional, and national levels and has served as chair of the Tennessee State Palliative Care Council and Quality of Life Council since its inception in 2019.

Ralf Habermann, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Division of Geriatric Medicine

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Habermann is director of home-based primary care services for the frail elderly at the VA and is board certified in geriatrics, hospice, and palliative care. He has over 23 years of experience in leading long-term care facilities as a medical director and serves on multiple regional and national committees related to care of the elderly in long-term care.

Lauren LeStourgeon

Program Manager

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Mrs. LeStourgeon has a Master’s of Public Health degree and has been coordinating research programs for 8 years. She is the direct contact for all administrative questions related to the project and serves as the liaison between your facility and Vanderbilt.

Contact: enhance@vumc.org

ENHANCE: Empowering Nursing Homes to Accomplish Nuanced Communication Expertise ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​for meaningful Goals of Care conversations