President and CEO

As president and chief executive officer of San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, Jan Cetti is dedicated to improving access to hospice and palliative care for all persons living with a life-limiting illness. She has been instrumental in supporting the growth of our Center for Palliative Studies, developing palliative home healthcare, and building partnerships with local healthcare institutions. Prior to joining the organization, Jan worked in senior executive positions with a local regional health care system. After earning her graduate degree in nursing, she spent several years as a faculty member in the schools of nursing at both Loma Linda University and San Diego State University. Jan was the 1984 recipient of the YWCA TWIN award and has been with San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care since 1996. She has served on the Academic Affairs Committee at the University of San Diego since 1994 and is an active member of the Rotary Club of San Diego.

Deborah Dunne

Chief Administrative Officer, Clinical Centers

As vice president of clinical services for San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, Deborah Dunne is responsible for clinical operations of the organization's two inpatient care centers, hospice home care, the children's program, volunteer resources and the Center for Grief Care and Education. Deborah has extensive experience in diverse health care leadership roles with responsibility for operations, business development, and physician relations in hospitals and free-standing surgery centers. She is affiliated with Executive Women in Healthcare and was honored in 2000 with the YWCA TWIN Award: Women in industry who have made a measurable difference in their organization.

Vice President, Medical Affairs

Dr. Herbst is vice president of medical affairs at San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care and a clinical professor of medicine at University of California San Diego. She attended the University of Southern California for undergraduate training and medical school, completing her internship and internal medicine residency at LA County-USC Medical Center. Dr. Herbst trained in Hematology-Oncology at the VA San Francisco and joined San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care as its first medical director in 1978. She is a founding member and past president of the American Academy of Palliative Medicine. She has twice received the YWCA Twin Award and was a 2004 nominee for the San Diego Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award. Dr. Herbst is the recipient of the first Robert T. Angarola award for excellence in pain management, the Sarnat Distinguished Humanitarian award, and the San Diego Combined Health Services Health Hero Award.

Kathy Jones

Vice President, Finance & Support Services and CFO

In her role as vice president of finance and support services and chief financial officer, Kathy Jones has improved financial operational performance, implemented new supply distribution to field staff, and increased the overall reliability of support services for San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care. Kathy is dedicated to creating opportunities for greater patient access by providing assistance in locating financial resources for patients. She brings her expertise in patient care financial administration from experience at UCSD, Sharp Healthcare, and Premier, Inc., a support services and group purchasing organization for non-profit hospitals. Kathy serves as the organization's compliance officer and is a board member for Community Eldercare of San Diego, St. Paul's Senior Homes & Services.

Kathleen Pacurar

Vice President, Development

As vice president of development, Kathleen Pacurar oversees all fundraising, marketing and business development efforts in support of San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care's patient care, education, research, and advocacy programs. Prior to joining the organization, she served as Executive director, UCSD Health Sciences Development. Her work at UCSD supported programs such as the Shiley Eye Center expansion, the Moores Cancer Center development, and the creation of the Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center. Kathleen joins San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care with 18 years of community relations and fundraising experience, including work with the American Foundation for AIDS Research, the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, and Scripps Mercy Hospital.

Barbara Radice

Vice President, Customer Support and CIO

Barbara Radice has served as San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care's Vice President of Customer Support and Chief Information Officer since 2001. Her areas of responsibility include Information Technology, Health Information, Staff Education, Quality, Performance Improvement, the Access Center, Human Resources, and the HIV/AIDS Case Management Program. She is a member of the Standards Committee for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Barbara's background includes serving as the Director of Customer Support at CliniComp, Intl., a San Diego based software company specializing in hospital clinical information systems and 14 years of experience at Sharp HealthCare in various leadership roles.

Charles F. von Gunten, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.

Provost and Vice President

Dr. von Gunten is Provost and Vice President of the Center for Palliative Studies at San Diego Hospice & Palliative Care, considered one of the largest academic hospice programs in the nation. The Center for Palliative Studies is dedicated in advancing the art and science of palliative medicine, partnering with local, national and international entities on advanced education and research opportunities, and hosts the largest physician specialty training program in the United States. Dr. von Gunten is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, a national peer-reviewed publication and an Established Investigator with the National Cancer Institute. Recently, Dr. von Gunten was named Chairman of the American Board of Medical Specialties’ Test Committee on Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Additionally, he serves as Medical Director of the Doris A. Howell Service, a palliative care consultation program through UCSD Moores Cancer Center. Dr. von Gunten is a widely published authority on palliative medicine; he has authored more than 160 publications and is a coeditor of the prestigious new international Textbook of Palliative Medicine. With more than 25 years of experience in the medical field, he is recognized as a renowned expert and widely published authority on the subjects of hospice, palliative medicine and pain and symptom control.