Sean M. Reed will serve as Associate Professor and Miriam Weyker Chair in Palliative and End-of-Life Care

Strengthening the University of Rhode Island’s commitment to advancing nursing knowledge, preparing future nurse leaders, and expanding access to high-quality serious illness care, the URI College of Nursing welcomed Sean Reed as associate professor and Miriam Weyker Chair in Palliative and End-of-Life Care to begin the fall 2026 semester.

Reed is a nationally recognized a nurse scientist, educator, clinician, and leader whose work focuses on palliative care, aging, implementation science, equitable access, and unitary caring science. His career bridges health system leadership, funded research, national policy engagement, doctoral education, and palliative care program development.

“Sean brings remarkable energy, vision, and heart to everything he does,” said Dean Danny Willis. “He is a nationally recognized nurse scholar with deep expertise in palliative care, caring science, and systems change. His appointment positions URI to build something truly meaningful in palliative care nursing for our students, our faculty, our partners, and the communities we serve.”

Reed’s scholarship focuses on advancing equitable access to palliative care by helping health systems identify the right patient, at the right time, in the right setting. His work integrates implementation science, health services research, serious illness care, and nursing theory to improve how palliative care is delivered across hospitals, clinics, homes, hospice, and community settings.

“I am honored to join URI as the Miriam Weyker Chair in Palliative and End-of-Life Care,” Reed said. “This role brings together the central commitments of my career: Advancing equitable access to palliative care, preparing nurses for serious illness care, and building sustainable models that improve quality of life for patients and families.”

Reed (PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, ACHPN, FAAN) joins URI from the University of Colorado College of Nursing, bringing experience in funded research, doctoral education, nursing theory, health system leadership, and program development.

At URI, Reed plans to build an integrated, nurse-led palliative care program that connects research, education, workforce development, and community partnership. He will expand interdisciplinary collaborations across the University, strengthen palliative care education, advance research focused on equitable access to serious illness care, and develop partnerships that improve palliative care across Rhode Island and beyond.

Funded in the 1990s through an endowment established by the late Dr. Lawrence M. Weyker in memory of his wife, Miriam Weyker, the Weyker chair is dedicated to improving quality of care and support for dying patients and their grieving families through specialized education, clinical service, and research.