Brandon Varilek, PhD, is among the 2025 Hospice and Palliative Nurses Foundation’s (HPNF) Emerging Leaders Award recipients.
The honor, which HPNF established in 2021, celebrates and encourages early career hospice and palliative nurses to continue their work in hospice-related care research or practice. Every three years, HPNF bestows the award to 30 individuals under the age of 40 or those who have less than five years’ experience.
An assistant professor at the UNMC College of Nursing – Omaha division, Dr. Varilek specializes in research in hospice and palliative care in minoritized populations in Nebraska, South Dakota and the Upper Great Plains Area.
“Receiving this honor is a true privilege and confirms that the work I am doing is valuable not only to the populations I work with, but to the broader hospice and palliative care community,” he said.
Dr. Varilek and his fellow recipients were honored in February at the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care in Denver.
Dr. Varilek said the recognition encourages him to continue his focus on increasing access to communities in need.
“My goal is to broaden access to palliative and hospice care for underserved rural communities by developing innovative mechanisms to incorporate palliative care into normal care settings without overburdening our current palliative care teams,” he said. “I am especially interested in these approaches for individuals with chronic and end-stage kidney diseases, and with American Indian persons living in Nebraska and the Upper Great Plains.”
For more information about the honor and to see a video of Dr. Varilek acknowledging the award, click here.