Upcoming Speaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n
David Picella<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
Seminar Title: Lessons From GWEP: How to Keep Patients Out of the Hospital and Give Better Care at Home<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Presentation Date<\/strong>: 10\/23\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n Presentation Time<\/strong>: 11:00 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Details<\/strong>: This presentation reframes caregiver failure not as a personal or family flaw, but as a critical clinical event that directly drives preventable hospitalizations and nursing home admissions for individuals with dementia. It highlights red flags, standardized screening tools, non-pharmacological interventions, and interprofessional care models\u2014such as CMS’s GUIDE model\u2014to support caregivers and stabilize dementia care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Speaker Bio<\/strong>: David Picella, PhD, has practiced in Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) as a nurse practitioner (NP) since 1997. In HBPC, Picella led interprofessional teams caring for older adults in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, home settings, and primary care clinics. He was a clinical preceptor at Azusa Pacific University (APU) for five years, followed by one year as adjunct faculty, after which he became full-time faculty in 2018. Currently, Picella serves as the director of the Adult Geriatric Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) Program at APU. In 2019, he received the Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), focusing on improving gerontological competencies among faculty and other interprofessional students (IPE), while enhancing care for underserved older adult populations. His current clinical practice focuses on age-friendly and dementia-friendly healthcare in HBPC. Starting in 2023, Picella became project director (PD) for a new HRSA five-year, $5 million Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (GWEP) at APU. As PD for the GWEP, he is building an academic-practice-based community partnership to educate and train IPE faculty, staff, students, physicians, direct care workers, and others to achieve high-quality outcomes in underserved older adult communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Seminar Objectives<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n Past Speaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Title: Geriatric Frailty Syndrome<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presentation Date<\/strong>: 10\/16\/2026<\/p>\n\n\n Presentation Time<\/strong>: 11:00 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Details<\/strong>: This Continuing Education session covers Geriatric Frailty Syndrome (GFS), focusing on its definition, diagnostic criteria, and distinction from disability. It outlines associated health risks and guides health professionals on targeted multidisciplinary interventions, a 5-stage clinical progression model, and key metrics to measure, evaluate, and sustain an effective GFS program<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Speaker Bio<\/strong>: Ann Marie Hablitzel is an accomplished nursing leader with over five decades of clinical and executive experience. Her career is defined by two impactful 25-year chapters: first in Maternal\/Child Nursing, and later as the founder and CEO of Hospice Care of California. A recipient of the 2025 APU Nursing Clinical Excellence Award, Ann Marie has served on numerous executive boards, including the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association (CHAPCA) and the UCI Institutional Review Board.\n\nDriven by her belief that caring for patients at life\u2019s beginning and end is a sacred honor, she continues to invest in the future of healthcare through the endowed Hablitzel Family Scholarship. She has been married to her husband for 58 years, and together they have two sons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Seminar Objectives<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n Past Speaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Title: Supporting Older Adults in Early Stages of Cognitive Impairment: A Clinical and Interdisciplinary Perspective<\/p>\n\n\n\n Presentation Date<\/strong>: 10\/7\/2025<\/p>\n\n\n Presentation Time<\/strong>: 11:00 AM<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Details<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Speaker Bio<\/strong>: Susie Baker, LCSW, is the founder of Luminous Self Therapy + Coaching, where she supports individuals through grief, anxiety, and life transitions. With over a decade of experience working with older adults in hospice care, Susie brings compassion and deep understanding to end-of-life support and the challenges of aging. In her private practice, she specializes in one-on-one therapy, helping clients find resilience, healing, and meaning in life\u2019s changing seasons. She also serves as an adjunct professor at Azusa Pacific University Social Work Department and provides supervision for those seeking licensure, guiding the next generation of social workers with clarity, wisdom, and heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Seminar Objectives<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n Past Speaker<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seminar Title: Interdisciplinary Approach to Opioid Use Disorder: a holistic perspective<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/apu.agefriendly.care\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/53168962090_956a25b01f_k-683x1024-1-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAnn Hablitzel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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![\"Ann](\"https:\/\/apu.agefriendly.care\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Untitled-Design-4.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSusie Baker, LCSW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nAmit Khurana, PharmD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Amit](\"https:\/\/apu.agefriendly.care\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/DSC_7441-copy.jpg\")
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