Jessica Thompkins is a Research Nurse at Children’s National in Washington D.C. and a PhD Candidate at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. Jessica has worked in family research and life-threatening pediatric illness and rare disease since 2008, notably with Dr. Maureen Lyon. In 2020, Jessica  became faculty with Respecting Choices, a Division of CTAC Innovations as a Certified Advance Care Planning Instructor She has extensive experience as a pediatric nurse and clinical trial research nurse. These combined experiences contribute to her goal of conducting research with children, adolescents, and their families that is impactful and sensitive to their needs.