Our Dedicated Team Wholeheartedly Supports our Mission
Jennifer Ballentine, MA
Executive Director
Jennifer is an expert on the end of life in Colorado. She has presented hundreds of programs to the public and professionals locally and at national conferences on advance care planning, advance directives, caregiving, hospice and palliative care, healthcare public policy, healthcare ethics, palliative sedation, multicultural and multispiritual issues at the end of life, and other topics.
Jennifer earned a Master’s degree in End-of-Life Studies from Regis University with graduate honors and a Bachelor’s from Oberlin College, Phi Beta Kappa. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Healthcare Ethics Forum, the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization Professional Education Committee, the Center to Improve Value in Health Care Palliative Care Taskforce, and the Advisory Board of Natural Transitions Magazine. She co-chairs the Colorado Advance Directives Consortium. She has published in the Senior Law Handbook of Colorado, and the American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care, CSA Journal, and elsewhere. She previously served as Director of Programs for the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care and as Research Program Strategist for The Denver Hospice.
Daniel C. Johnson, MD, FAAHPM
Director
Dr. Daniel Johnson is the National Clinical Lead for Palliative Care with Kaiser Permanente’s Care Management Institute. He is also Department Chief of Palliative Care at Kaiser Permanente-Colorado and is a practicing physician on the Palliative Care Consult Services at
Dr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree from the Colorado School of Mines and worked as a geophysicist for 8 years prior to completing medical school and residency training at the
Jeanne Burnkrant, MS, RN
Director of Professional and Clinical Education
Jeanne earned a BS in Nursing from Regis University, an MS in Clinical Leadership with an emphasis in End-of- Life Care from the George Washington University, and in fall 2011 will begin working toward her Doctorate of Nursing Practice of the Adult and Older Adult at the University of Colorado. Jeanne has been a critical care nurse for 14 years, and for the last seven has taught nursing at Regis University. During this time at Regis, she spearheaded the End-of-Life Care taskforce that resulted in threading end-of-life care objectives throughout the prelicensure curriculum for nursing students. Jeanne is a member of the Colorado Center for Hospice and Palliative Care Education Committee, a Community Leader of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, and a member of the Colorado Nurses Association and the Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado. Jeanne has presented research and conducted seminars on suicide prevention and end-of-life care. Jeanne directs LQI's education programs for healthcare professionals in clinical and academic settings.
Cheryl Eckl, CTP
Community and Online Education Manager
Cheryl has always worn many hats. A native of Colorado, she spent over 25 years supporting and training leaders in a variety of for-profit and non-profit organizations. She is a former course author and certified instructor/facilitator with Learning Tree International in Washington, DC, and currently serves as a life coach, speaker, author, and educator. Since losing her husband, Stephen, to colon cancer in 2008, Cheryl has published her book, A Beautiful Death: Facing the Future with Peace, and completed a Master's-level certificate in Transpersonal Psychology. Cheryl will bring her many talents and experience to LQI in managing our community education programs and enhancing our online communications, public outreach, and use of social media to build awareness of palliative care.
Sophie Garrison is LQI's Executive Assistant. Sophie has more than 20 years' experience supporting executives and managing offices in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. Most recently, she has been working in the financial field, but prior to relocating to Denver, was Executive Secretary to the Vice Presidents of Patient Services, Clinical Services, and Hospital Operations (over 12 years) at Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital Center in Chicago, Illinois. Sophie is your main contact for program registrations and information. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 303-398-6326.
Jeffrey D. Manuel, MD
Physician Educator
Jeff Manuel, MD is the lead physician on the Inpatient Palliative Care Consult service at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in Denver and Exempla Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette. Dr. Manuel has a strong interest in palliative care education including topics around communication and managing complex symptoms in advanced illness.
Dr. Manuel attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where he completed an area of concentration in geriatric medicine. He completed family medicine residency training at St. Joseph Hospital, where he served as chief resident. Dr. Manuel then pursued a fellowship in hospice and palliative care at Capital Hospice in northern Virginia.
David Nowels, MD, MPH
Physician Educator
Dr. David Nowels has been with the Life Quality Institute since its inception. He is an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he practices. He is board certified in family medicine and hospice/palliative medicine. Dr. Nowels has been a hospice medical director and has had an active consulting practice in palliative medicine since 1997. He focuses his educational and research activities in palliative care.
© 2010 Life Quality Institute