President and CEO

As the leader since 1996 of one of the ten largest hospice organizations in the United States, and possibly in the world, Jan Cetti has also become a leading national advocate for better access to hospice and palliative care for those suffering a life-limiting illness.

“I looked at the gap between what people want at the end of their lives and what they got,” says Cetti, “and it sparked my revolutionary spirit.”  During her tenure, San Diego Hospice has grown to an average patient census 1,000 per day, and—most recently – has joined with The Institute of Palliative Medicine to form a world-class research, education, and hospice care campus. 

To facilitate the goal of access and education about the relief of suffering, she helped develop the Hospice’s palliative homecare system, and built partnerships with local healthcare institutions.

Prior to joining San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine, Cetti served as a senior vice-president at Sharp Healthcare.  She began her career in nursing, and after earning her graduate degree, spent several years as a faculty member in the schools of nursing at Loma Linda University and San Diego State University. 

She was chosen as board chairman for the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association and served on the Academic Affairs Committee of the University of San Diego until 2007.  

Among other honors, Cetti was the recipient of the coveted YWCA TWIN award for extraordinary and exemplary public service. 

During her years of service as San Diego Hospice CEO, the organization has been consistently recognized for excellence, innovation, and integrity.  For example, the Circle of Life Award  from American Hospital Association, recognizing San Diego Hospice for its innovative Children’s Program (2002);  the only non-profit hospice program chosen locally to receive the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics (2005) and the University of San Diego’s Kaleidoscope Award for exceptional governance, 2008.

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 and Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Herbst is the chief medical officer for San Diego Hospice and all of its clinical programs, and has been part of San Diego Hospice since its very beginning more than 30 years ago when she was its first chief medical officer.   She is a widely-respected clinician who leads the largest group of board-certified hospice and palliative care sub-specialists in the world, and has been a national leader in advancing the recognition of hospice and palliative medicine by the American Board of Medical Specialties and the American Medical Association.  She helped to establish, and has acted as president for the American Academy of Palliative Medicine. She has been a constant and vigorous supporter of young physicians entering the palliative medicine field. 

Dr. Herbst attended the University of Southern California for both undergraduate and medical training, and completed her internal medicine and hematology/oncology training at the University of California, San Francisco.  She has received a number of honors, including the prestigious YWCA Twin Award, the first Robert T. Angarola Award for Excellence in Pain Management, the Sarnat Distinguished Humanitarian Award, the United Way/CHAD Health Hero Award, the Josephina B. Magno Distinguished Hospice Physician Award and the San Diego Business Journal Women Who Mean Business 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.

Dr. Charles von Gunten, MD, PhD, FAAHPM

Provost of The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice

Dr. Charles von Gunten, MD, PhD, FAAHPM
Provost of The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice

Dr. von Gunten is Provost of The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice. The Institute is one of the largest academic hospice programs in the nation and hosts the largest physician specialty training program in the U.S.

In addition to leading all of the academic and research programs at The Institute, Dr. von Gunten serves as a teaching faculty member and provides direct patient care.  He holds the rank of Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, holds an established investigator award from the National Cancer Institute, and chairs the American Board of Medical Specialties’ Test Committee on Hospice and Palliative Medicine.  

He earned both an MD with honors and a PhD degree in molecular biochemistry from the University of Colorado, and trained in internal medicine and medical oncology at Northwestern University in Chicago.  He has authored more than 160 publications and is co-editor of the International Textbook on Palliative Medicine. With more than 25 years of experience in the medical field, he is widely recognized as a frequently published and quoted authority on hospice care, palliative medicine, and pain and symptom control.  Dr. von Gunten is particularly interested in the integration of hospice and palliative care in academic medicine.