Listening as the Foundation of Care 

We focus on strengthening serious illness conversations so that care reflects individual values, priorities, and goals—consistently and over time.

Why This Work Matters

We focus on supporting meaningful conversations for people living with serious illness. Our work is grounded in the belief that care is most effective—and most humane—when it reflects what matters most to patients and families. Serious illness conversations create space for listening, understanding, and shared decision-making, particularly during times of uncertainty.
We collaborate with clinicians, healthcare organizations, and community partners to strengthen how these conversations occur in real practice. This includes preparing clinicians with the knowledge skills and confidence to initiate and engage in Serious Illness Conversations.

Founder and Lead Faculty, Serious Illness Conversations Training

Mary Beth Billie, DNP, RN-BC, CCM is a doctorly prepared nurse leader and educator specializing in serious illness communication and population health. She is the creator and lead faculty for the Serious Illness Conversations Training Program, which integrates the evidence-based structured communication guide developed by Ariadne Labs.

 

Her work in serious illness communication began as part of her doctoral capstone, where she designed and implemented a Serious Illness Conversation Program within a clinical setting. Since then, she has trained more than 1,000 nurses, social workers, and physicians across healthcare organizations.

 

Mary Beth’s work focuses on helping clinicians deliver care that reflects what matters most to patients—through earlier, more effective conversations that support alignment, continuity, and patient-centered decision-making.

We focus on supporting meaningful conversations for people living with serious illness. Our work is grounded in the belief that care is most effective—and most humane—when it reflects what matters most to patients and families. Serious illness conversations create space for listening, understanding, and shared decision-making, particularly during times of uncertainty.

 

We collaborate with clinicians, healthcare organizations, and community partners to strengthen how these conversations occur in real practice. This includes preparing clinicians with the knowledge skills and confidence to initiate and engage in Serious Illness Conversations