James Wake Memorial Lecture 2026
When a Loved One is Dying: Providing Comfort and Care at the End of Life
Friday, November 20, 2026 | in person and via Teams
Hosted by Marquette University’s College of Nursing and the Institute for Palliative and End-of-Life Care
Maureen Groden, hospice nurse, educator, and author of When a Loved One is Dying: Conversations About Care, Connection, and Coping, uses storytelling as a means of conveying information to the public about the end of life. During this presentation she will share excerpts from her book and insights about end-of-life care, navigating emotional challenges, and supporting loved ones with compassion and confidence.
In the session, participants will learn:
Immediately following the keynote presentation, a reactor panel will share additional resources for families such as death doulas, Reiki energy work, threshold choirs, hospice, and more. They will also share recommendations on how health care professionals can best support families.
This memorial lecture is held biennially in memory of James Wake, chaplain and husband of Dr. Madeline Wake, former Provost of Marquette University. James’ career was devoted to helping others through social work and chaplaincy.
About the Presenters
KEYNOTE ADDRESS | Maureen Groden, RN, MS, CHPN
Maureen Groden has been a hospice nurse and educator for several decades. She obtained her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Massachusetts and her graduate degree from the University of Connecticut. Maureen holds certification as a Hospice and Palliative Care Registered Nurse from The Hospice and Palliative Care Credentialing Center.
During her career, Maureen held leadership positions as the Director of Hospice and Palliative Care at several major health care systems, including Mass General Brigham/Cooley Dickinson and Hospice Life Care/Holyoke Medical Center. In these roles, Maureen was instrumental in leading quality hospice and palliative care teams in the care of patients with serious and terminal illnesses.
In addition to clinical leadership, Maureen Groden has taught community health nursing at several baccalaureate nursing programs, primarily the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has presented widely at conferences and in the community on advanced directives, palliative care and hospice.
Maureen has developed a passion for helping families navigate our health care system when their loved one has a serious illness. She also wants to help families experience a peaceful end-of-life journey. Maureen wrote When a Loved One Is Dying: Conversations About Care, Connection & Coping to help readers understand what happens when people are dying and how to care for them.
REACTOR PANEL | Martha Badger, PhD, RN, NI-BC
Martha Badger has been a registered nurse for 35 years and a Reiki Master for 20. She completed her End-of-Life Doula training in 2023 through The Dying Year and is co-founder of the Greater Milwaukee Death Doulas. She is also an Advance Care Planning Facilitator and a Certified After-Death Care Educator. Dr. Badger is passionate about normalizing conversation about death and dying, raising community awareness about the role of end-of-life doulas, and supporting meaningful, sustainable end-of-life rituals.
REACTOR PANEL | Glenn Ragalie, MD
Dr. Ragalie served as the medical director for Aurora Zilber Family Hospice and home hospice program for 11 years, from 2006 to 2017. As a board-certified physician in hospice care, palliative medicine, pulmonary disease, and internal medicine, Dr. Ragalie played a pivotal role in establishing Zilber Family Hospice as a leading inpatient hospice facility in the Greater Milwaukee area. He is known for drawing inspiration from his patients’ life stories, collaborating with compassionate interdisciplinary teams, and providing expert symptom management in an environment designed to feel like home for individuals facing advanced serious illnesses.
