Biography
Kathy Perko, RN, MS, PPCNP-BC, CPON, CHPPN, FPCN received her BSN at the University of Portland and her MS/PNP at UC-San Francisco. She has been a nurse for 38 years, 28 years as a PNP. Her initial work was in caring for children with cancer and their families. In 2002, she founded the Bridges Pediatric Palliative Care Program at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital. She directed the program until her retirement in 2020. She is certified as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and in Pediatric Oncology, Perinatal Loss and Pediatric Hospice/Palliative Care and is recognized as a Fellow in Palliative Care Nursing. She has certificates in Pediatric Bioethics and Palliative Care. She is a national ELNEC and EPEC (Education in Palliative and End of Life Care-Pediatrics) educator and continues to provide palliative care education to interdisciplinary colleagues locally and nationally. In her free time, she enjoys traveling anywhere and baking, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
