Catrece Studdard, MBA

Catrece is passionate about advancing the field of palliative care and sharing best practices with other organizations. She has been a member of the CAPC Palliative Care Learning Center (PCLC) at Presbyterian Healthcare Services in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 2017 and co-hosts Business Planning for Palliative Care Programs Virtual Office Hour.

She earned her MBA from Lewis University and decided to pursue a career in healthcare administration after working for a foundation raising funds for a home care and hospice program early in her career. It is there she gained a passion for providing quality care for people with advanced illness and building programs to allow seniors to age in place.

In her current role as the Director of Practice Operations, Catrece has led both inpatient and outpatient (home and clinic) palliative care teams, providing strategic direction, operational leadership, and financial management. Ensuring the delivery of high-quality palliative care services that align with the organization's mission, vision, and values. While collaborating with other leaders and stakeholders across the system to integrate palliative care into the continuum of care and promote a culture of compassion and excellence.

Catrece likes working with dynamic and interdisciplinary teams that encourage innovation and collaboration. She has overseen the design and implementation of innovative programs such as Complete Care (a program for advanced illness management), House Calls, Hospital at Home, Remote Monitoring and Post Acute Care.

I entered healthcare administration after early work with a foundation that raised funds for a home care and hospice program. That experience sparked my passion for providing high-quality care to people with advanced illness and for building programs that help older adults age in place. Personal loss later deepened that commitment and drew me to palliative care. When my brother died of cancer without the support of a palliative care team, I saw firsthand the impact on both patients and families.

Over the years, I have been grateful for the opportunity to grow my professional scope to include innovative programs to improve the health of New Mexican’s. Programs such as Complete Care-House Calls (a geriatric advanced illness management program), Post-Acute Care (a program that follows patients during and after a SNF stay), Hospital at Home, and a statewide Advance Care Planning program. Each of these programs have roots connecting to the principles of palliative care, and each has deepened my sense of purpose while continuing to shape my professional growth and passion for this work.

One of the most challenging problems I have tackled (at times)—AND continue to work to solve is demonstrating value beyond the program financial statements. Balancing fee-for-service and value-based care, varied payors, and shifting priorities can make progress feel uncertain at times. On the hardest days, it takes real passion to keep going. But when I look at what we have accomplished in the field over the last decade and the impact our care has on patients and families, I know the effort is worth it and that it creates the motivation to overcome the next hurdle to eventually win the race... and the courage to enter the next race with enthusiasm and grace.

Outside of work, I have recently taken up golf—and I’m told that once I stop swinging the club like a baseball bat, I might actually be pretty good at it. A lot of my time also goes to my rambunctious dog that will play ball for hours on end and my cat that thinks she is a princess, who both definitely keep life interesting. And at the end of a long week, I love unwinding with a good murder mystery and working on the most recent home improvement project.

I create a great gift basket. My first job outside my family’s restaurant was at a candy store in West Texas, where I learned to build gift baskets topped with big, elaborate Texas sized bows. I even had a bow creation technique that drew customers in just to watch. I still put that skill to use by decorating all of my personal gifts that way.