Rebekah Halpern, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, has spent more than 34 years building a career at the intersection of pediatric critical care and palliative medicine. She is widely recognized for helping bring palliative care into neonatal and pediatric intensive care settings, ensuring that even the most medically complex patients and their families receive compassionate, thoughtful care. Along the way, she has taken on leadership roles, contributed to national certification efforts in hospice and palliative medicine, and mentored countless students and clinicians. Her work reflects a deep commitment not only to patients, but to strengthening the physician associate profession.
Halpern’s early life was shaped by a global upbringing that exposed her to a wide range of cultures and perspectives. She spent time living in Ethiopia, Türkiye, Kenya, and Greece, experiences influenced by her mother’s work as a cultural anthropologist and her father’s role with the Department of Defense. Growing up in these environments taught her how to listen carefully, adapt quickly, and find common ground with people from very different backgrounds, skills that would later become central to her work in medicine.
Before choosing a career in healthcare, Halpern explored several academic and research interests. She worked in archaeology across several countries and spent time conducting primate behavioral research, developing strong observational skills and a curiosity about both science and human behavior. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her undergraduate studies in the Plan II Honors Program and conducted research related to immunological tumor imaging agents. Over time, her interest shifted from studying the past and animal behavior to focusing on people, ultimately leading her to pursue medicine.
Halpern earned her physician assistant degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in 1993, graduating with top honors. While still a student, she became involved in national professional advocacy, serving as chief delegate for the Student Academy of the American Academy of Physician Associates. This early leadership role marked the beginning of a lifelong commitment to advancing the profession.
After graduation, she completed two demanding residencies at Los Angeles County and the University of Southern California, one in emergency medicine and the other in pediatric medicine. These programs exposed her to fast-paced, high-acuity care environments and helped build the foundation for her future work in critical care. She later earned a master’s degree from the University of Nebraska, further strengthening her clinical training.
Her early career included work in emergency departments and pediatric intensive care, where she developed confidence in managing complex and critically ill patients. She eventually transitioned into pediatric and neonatal intensive care, where she found her long-term professional home and began to focus more deeply on palliative care.
Over time, Halpern became a leading advocate for integrating palliative care into pediatric and neonatal intensive care settings. She recognized early on that families facing serious illness needed more than medical treatment, they needed communication, support, and guidance through incredibly difficult decisions. This perspective shaped much of her work moving forward.
She has held a number of leadership roles at the national level, including serving on the board of directors for Physician Associates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM) and participating in the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care. She has also contributed to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization through its ethics advisory work. Through these roles, she has helped influence how palliative care is delivered and how physician associates are included in that work.
One of her most meaningful contributions has been her involvement in developing certification pathways for physician associates in hospice and palliative medicine. Through her work with the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), she helped support the development of the Certificate of Added Qualifications (CAQ) in this field, helping to formalize training and recognition for clinicians who specialize in this type of care.
Education has always been a central part of Halpern’s career. She has taught at multiple institutions, including Stony Brook University and California State University San Marcos, where she helped develop coursework focused on palliative care. She has also spent years teaching in clinical settings, working with students, residents, and interdisciplinary teams. Her teaching often focuses on communication, especially how to have difficult conversations with patients and families, as well as ethical decision-making and symptom management.
In addition to teaching, Halpern has contributed to the medical literature and presented at national conferences on topics related to pediatric palliative care, ethics, and communication. She recently served as editor and contributing author for a specialty review book in hospice and palliative medicine for physician associates, further supporting education in the field.
Her work in ethics and equity is another important part of her career. She has served on hospital ethics committees for many years, helping develop policies and guide difficult decisions in patient care. At Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, she also serves as a cultural humility ambassador, working to ensure that care is respectful, equitable, and responsive to the needs of diverse patient populations. She recently completed a certification program through Mercy Hospital in Pediatric Ethics further cementing her commitment to evaluating the intersection of ethics, culture, and palliative care.
Halpern’s contributions have been recognized through multiple awards, including being named Advanced Practice Provider of the Year at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in 2024. She has recently been recognized as a distinguished mentor for the fellowship program for advanced practice providers at CHLA and is on the fellowship advisor board. She has received numerous teaching awards at her previous workplaces. She is also a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Associates, reflecting her long-standing impact on the profession. She is immensely proud to have received, along with five other outstanding PAs, a lifetime achievement award in hospice and palliative medicine from Physician Associates in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (PAHPM).
Halpern currently works in the neonatal intensive care unit at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she cares for critically ill infants with complex medical needs. In addition to her clinical work, she remains actively involved in teaching, mentoring, and national advocacy efforts. She is also continuing her training in pediatric bioethics, reflecting her ongoing commitment to thoughtful, patient-centered care.
Outside of her clinical and academic work, Halpern is dedicated to service. She serves on the board of directors of The Bucket List Project, a nonprofit that grants wishes to adults with terminal illness, helping fill a gap for patients who may no longer qualify for pediatric programs. She is also part of a group advocating for scouts with disabilities and opening outdoor adventures to those in Scouting America with conditions such as neurodivergence and chronic illness.
She remains deeply attached to her children and husband and enjoys sharing her love of dance, art, diving and exploring with her family. At the heart of everything she does is a belief in the importance of compassion, connection, and understanding, values shaped by her early life and carried throughout her career.
Acknowledgments:
This biography was written by Jeff Myers, MPH, MMSc, PA-C, DFAAPA, FAAHPM, with the assistance of Rebekah Halpern. It was submitted to the Society in September 2026. The photographs are courtesy of Ms. Halpern.
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