Gloria Thomas Anderson, PhD, LMSW

Gloria Thomas Anderson, PhD, LMSW is the founder and president of Heart Tones™, a literary arts ministry that provides customized, educational workshops, products, and resources related to emotional wellness, health care decision-making, end of life, and cultural competency. Dr. Thomas Anderson holds an interdisciplinary doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction and educational leadership, policy, and foundations, and a master’s degree in social work. She is currently a university-level professor of social work. Dr. Thomas Anderson’s research focuses on cultural responsiveness in urban-based social work, health care equity at end of life, and spirituality in the workplace. She is the author of The African-American Spiritual and Ethical Guide to End-of-Life Care: What Y’all Gon’ Do With Me?, a culturally-sensitive book for people of color as a helpful resource to navigate health care decision-making options.

Dr. Thomas Anderson has over 14 years of experience working with hospices, health care, and non-profit organizations in advance care planning education outreach efforts to communities of color. She is the 2020 recipient of the Capital Caring Health “Passion for Caring Social Justice Hero" Award, in honor of her service commitment and end-of-life work within the African American community. She remains an active member of the AA-ACP Network, and recently participated in multiple pandemic-related webinars through the Center for Practical Bioethics’ COVID Ethics Update series. She spoke about factors contributing to the disproportionate number of Black people dying from COVID-19 and other relevant issues within the African American population. Dr. Thomas Anderson is a member of the Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network and actively serves on the Interfaith and Diversity Workgroup for the Coalition to Transform Advance Care (C-TAC).