Mary Ersek, PhD, RN

Mary Ersek, PhD, RN is Professor of Palliative Care at Penn Nursing, with a secondary appointment in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is also a Senior Scientist with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). From 2011 to 2017, she was director of a national VA quality improvement program that seeks to enhance the quality of care across the integrated VA health care system. Dr. Ersek’s interdisciplinary research program focuses on pain and palliative care, with an emphasis on older adults and those residing in nursing homes, with several projects specifically involving persons with dementia. These studies include several complex intervention and implementation science studies such as two NIH-funded randomized controlled trials, and a current VA-funded program project grant to implement goals of care conversations into the care of veterans receiving long-term services and supports. She holds a PhD and MN from the University of Washington.