Bringing together advanced nursing practice and psychology to teach the whole of palliative care

Amanda Thompson, PhD

Pediatric Psychologist

For almost two decades, Dr. Amanda Thompson has dedicated her career as a pediatric psychologist to caring for and improving the lives of children, adolescents, and families impacted by serious and life-threatening illness. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical-Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, completed her predoctoral residency in pediatric psychology at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE (now Nemours), and completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship in pediatric psycho-oncology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH. Dr. Thompson then spent a decade as the Director of Psychology and Psychosocial Services in the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's National Hospital, building robust psychology and psychosocial teams and creating a psychology training program. She then transitioned to Chief of Pediatric Psychology and Director of Pediatric Programs at Life with Cancer, the psychosocial program arm of Inova Schar Cancer in Fairfax, VA, where she continued her service to the cancer community through 2025.

Dr. Thompson has a national presence as an author of the Standards of Psychosocial Care for Children with Cancer and their Families and as project lead on the development of Competencies for Psychologists Practicing in Pediatric Palliative Care (Thompson et al, 2025). She has previously served as chair of the Pediatrics/AYA Special Interest Group of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS) and as board member on the Pediatrics Council of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAPHM). Dr. Thompson is the American Psychological Association's representative to the Pediatrics Division of the National Coalition of Hospice and Palliative Care and is a member of the Coalition's expert panel developing the 5th edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. She also leads a national network of psychologists practicing in pediatric palliative care, providing mentorship and support to early and mid-career psychologists in hospitals across the country.

Dr. Thompson has published in numerous peer-reviewed journals (orcid.org/0000-0002-9683-9809), regularly presents at national and international scientific conferences, and teaches frequently in hospitals and the community on psycho-oncology, palliative care, interdisciplinary care, and grief and bereavement. Dr. Thompson was awarded the Outstanding Clinical Care award from APOS in 2024 and is a Fellow of both APOS and Division 54 (Society of Pediatric Psychology) of APA. Finally, she is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, where she teaches in their Interprofessional Pediatric Palliative Care master's program.

Currently, Dr. Thompson is a staff psychologist at The Snow Psychology Group where she provides psychotherapy services to children, adolescents, and emerging adults experiencing anxiety, depression, adjustment difficulties, and stress related to medical or family circumstances. She is especially passionate about supporting older adolescents and emerging adults, including those who are grieving the death of a loved one or coping with serious illness within their family.

When not at work, Dr. Thompson enjoys spending time with her rescue greyhound, Bala, watching her nieces and nephew play ice hockey, and feeding her infinite wanderlust by traveling whenever possible and capturing those experiences through her love of photography.

Lauren Hancock, RN, MSN, CPNP-AC, CHPPN

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Lauren Hancock has over 20 years of experience as a pediatric clinician and currently serves as the Advanced Practice Provider Manager for the Pediatric Service Line at Inova L.J. Murphy Children's Hospital in Northern Virginia, where she leads the team of APPs working in pediatrics across the health system. Her nursing career began in 2006 and spans a broad range of pediatric specialties, including bone marrow transplant, neonatal ICU, pediatric stepdown, camp nursing, pediatric ICU, primary care, pediatric hospice and palliative care, neuro-oncology, and cardiac ICU.

Lauren completed her undergraduate education at Georgetown University and her graduate nursing education at the University of Pennsylvania, where she trained as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in Acute Care with a specialization in Pediatric Oncology and a minor in Palliative Care. She has since completed multiple extensive training programs in pediatric palliative care.

In her current role as a Nurse Practitioner in the Pediatric ICU, Lauren provides family-centered care for children, adolescents, and young adults with critical illness, with an emphasis on primary palliative care throughout her critical care practice. She spent eight years as a nurse practitioner in a Pediatric Neuro-Oncology program, caring for children undergoing therapy for brain tumors, speaking frequently at national and international conferences on their care, and leading research and quality-improvement work on integrating pediatric palliative care into the neuro-oncology clinic.

Lauren has also worked as a nurse practitioner in pediatric hospice and previously served as Nursing Director at Victory Junction, a camp for children with chronic and life-threatening illness, where she remains active as a founding member of the Medical Resource Group. At camp she learned to ask "Yes, but how can we do it safely?" instead of "No," and she brings that spirit to creatively improving the lives of her patients and their families.

She is a Certified Hospice and Palliative Pediatric Nurse and a former Certified Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurse, and has received the Alumni Award for Clinical Excellence from the University of Pennsylvania and the Jean Ferguson Excellence in Nursing Practice Award from the Association of Pediatric Hematology Oncology Nurses.

Outside of work, Lauren lives in Washington, DC and enjoys traveling, reading, the beach, all things Disney, cuddling with her dog Oliver, and being an auntie to her friends' children.

Faith Kinnear, RN, MSN, CPNP-AC

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Faith Kinnear is a pediatric nurse practitioner whose clinical work bridges palliative care and critical care, focused on enhancing the quality of life, comfort, and care of children and families living with serious and chronic illness.

She brings a bedside-grounded perspective to PPEC's education, including how teams navigate parallel planning with families, helping them prepare for an uncertain road while staying present to the day in front of them. Faith's collaboration with Amanda and Lauren began in pediatric hematology and oncology and has continued across states and settings.

Blessed with two children who keep her social calendar full, Faith's favorite self care is vacation planning and her 4:30am workouts.