Palliative Care Education and Research Conference
We support the advancement of palliative care knowledge through the Palliative Care Education and Research Conference. This annual event, first held in 1989, occurs on the third Monday of October and brings together healthcare providers, researchers, community leaders and other palliative care experts.
Learn more about this year's conference
Conference information
2023 conference
The 34th annual conference will be held online Monday, October 23, 2023. The theme of this year's conference is Personalized Palliative Care: Caring for People and Communities, Honouring People Where They Are At.
Plenary speakers
Dr. Hsien Seow, Canada research chair in palliative care and health system innovation and professor in the department of oncology at McMaster University. His talk is Early Palliative Care Through Patient-Family Activation: Lessons from the Waiting Room Revolution.
Dr. Linda Watson, adjunct professor, faculty of nursing at the University of Calgary and past president of the Canadian Association of Nurses in Oncology. The title of her talk is But There Aren’t Enough Of Us!: How a Palliative Approach to Care Could Expand Our Capacity.
Receive updates
Email palliative.institute@covenanthealth.ca to be added our distribution list and receive updates.
Conference objectives
The Palliative Education and Research Conference aims to:
- increase awareness of palliative care needs in our community
- increase knowledge of the mechanisms of physical, emotional, spiritual and social distress
- provide better understanding of ways to control symptoms of life-limiting disease
- improve understanding of patient- and family-centred care
- improve understanding and support for the interprofessional approach
- increase awareness of compassionate values and moral decision-making in palliative care
- create a supportive environment for staff wellness
- provide networking opportunities
- provide a forum for sharing new research findings, both in progress and completed
Past conference themes and plenary speakers
2022: Connection & Collaboration: Bridges to Care
Plenary speakers: Dr. Amanda Brisebois and Laurel Kirchner
2021: My Grief – Your Grief: Grieving Together in Times of Loss
Plenary speakers: James Downar and Rev. Joan Jiko Halifax
2020: Kaleidoscope of Diversity: Honoring Individuality in Palliative Care
Plenary speakers: Cara Bablitz, Brenda Reynolds and Matt Day
2019: Caring for Caregivers
Plenary speaker and workshop: Peter Brindley
2018: Compassionate Communities: Building Upon a Caring Community
Plenary speakers: Shane Sinclair and Anna Voeuk