Our Team

Sandra Gossart-Walker (she/her) is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at the Yale Child Study Center. As the project director for the Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project, Sandi integrates reflective practice and mentalization theory to support healthcare professionals in delivering sensitive care to bereaved families. Sandi has been working with families affected by HIV/AIDS since 1992, providing mental health and support services in home, community and office settings. In addition, she provides mental health services and supervision at the Child Study Center’s In-Home Service and Outpatient Clinic.

Dr. Nancy Borstelmann (she/her) is a Clinical Instructor and Chief of Family Behavioral Health Services in Hematology/Oncology at the Yale Child Study Center. Prior to starting her position at Yale, Nancy was the Senior Director of Social Work at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and Chief of the Division of Social Work in the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care. She is a licensed clinical social worker whose career has been focused on serving patients and families coping with the impact of serious illness through direct clinical roles, program development, education, and leadership. Nancy specializes in family caregivers’ challenges, living with life-limiting illness as a family, and integrating the needs of children when a parent has cancer.

Lindsey Whissel Fenton, MEd, CT (she/her) is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, international speaker, and grief educator. In her current role as a senior producer/director and instructional designer at PBS/NPR affiliate WPSU, Lindsey focuses on projects related to grief, trauma, and mental health. She is the creator of Speaking Grief and Learning Grief, founder of Empathic Media, and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG). Lindsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Digital Arts from Point Park University, her master’s degree in Learning, Design, and Technology from Penn State, and is Certified in Thanatology through the Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC).

Dr. Amanda Chiapa (she/her) is an Associate Research Scientist and a licensed clinical psychologist at the Yale Child Study Center. She has a background in pediatric psychology and researching and providing evidence-based interventions to diverse populations. As a member of the Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project, she strives to understand the needs of providers and families to optimize quality of care in the healthcare setting.

Dr. Celeste Poe (she/her) is a Clinical Assistant Professor and pediatric and perinatal psychologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Poe is the Director of the NICU Psychology program at Stanford Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and works primarily with pregnant and postpartum parents and young children. As an early childhood and perinatal mental health specialist working in the medical setting, she is passionate about supporting young children, parents, and healthcare workers in navigating circumstances of grief, trauma, and bereavement.

Selin Kelly, LCSW, (she/her) is a Clinical Instructor of Social Work at the Yale Child Study Center and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is a bilingual psychotherapist specializing in trauma-focused and culturally responsive care for children, adolescents, and families. She earned her MSW from the Columbia University School of Social Work and completed a post-graduate fellowship at the Yale Child Study Center, where she trained in evidence-based treatments. She also serves as Clinical Faculty at Cha Lab, contributing to youth suicide prevention research and training, and maintains a private practice focused on early intervention and preventing unnecessary hospitalizations, providing evidence-based care to diverse populations across rural communities nationwide. As a Content Development Consultant for the Yale Grief-Sensitive Healthcare Project, she contributes to initiatives addressing gaps in grief and bereavement education for healthcare professionals and improving care delivery across settings.