Deborah L. Dokken MPA

Deborah L. Dokken, MPA, is currently a consultant to the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care. Deborah's career in family advocacy grew out of her own personal experiences, including the loss of two infants due to prematurity and her husband's long battle with a rare abdominal cancer. As a result, Deborah became involved in programs that improve family support and enhance family participation in health care.

Deborah was the Associate Director of the Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care (IPPC). She co-founded the nonprofit, community-based organization Partners in Intensive Care, and was a founding member of the Parent Partners Group at The George Washington University Hospital. Deborah has been a member of committees of the Institute of Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.

At Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC, she is a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Committee. She is also co-editor of the Family Matters section of Pediatric Nursing journal, the co-author of several articles related to family-centered and pediatric health care, and has presented at many conferences.