Rev. Laura Simmons (Johnson), MDiv, BCC is a Palliative Care Chaplain at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. Laura completed her undergraduate studies at the College of Charleston and received a Master of Divinity with Certificate in Theology, Medicine, and Culture from Duke University Divinity School. Laura completed a residency in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Duke University Medical Center and a second-year residency in CPE at the University of Virginia Health System, where she focused on Palliative Care. She is a Board Certified Chaplain in the Association of Professional Chaplains, and ordained and endorsed by the United Church of Christ denomination. At MedStar Washington Hospital Center, Laura is the Palliative Care Chaplain Workgroup Lead, serves as a faculty member for the Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship program, and mentors and teaches various learners across the hospital. Laura is deeply passionate about providing holistic and compassionate spiritual care, creating opportunities for patients and families to process the often-isolating experience of serious illness through the lens of their spirituality, and engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration.
Laura Simmons, MDiv BCC