12th Annual Great Lakes Palliative Care Conference

Lake Geneva, WI US
May 3, 2024

The purpose of the 12th Annual Great Lakes Palliative Care Conference is to bring together educators and leaders in palliative care from the Medical College of Wisconsin and the national community to explore challenging topics in palliative care and to advance the practice of hospice and palliative medicine.

Target Audience

  • Physicians
  • Psychologists
  • Allied Health Professionals (Advanced Practice Nurses, Physician Assistants, Registered Nurses, Hospice Personnel, Social Workers, Chaplains)
  • Fellows
  • Residents

Learning Objectives

Participants who engage in this educational intervention will be able to: 

  • identify sources of conflict between patients and families and health care teams. 
  • discuss the options for noninvasive oxygen therapy.
  • review wound prevention strategies, types of wounds, wound care, and topical treatments for painful wounds.
Additional information
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
    AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
  • 6.50 Hours of Participation
    Hours of Participation credit.
  • 1.00 NP Pharmacology
    NP Pharmacology credit.
  • 6.50 NP Contact Hours
Course opens: 
12/15/2023
Course expires: 
09/22/2024
Event starts: 
05/03/2024 - 8:00am CDT
Event ends: 
05/03/2024 - 5:00pm CDT
Cost:
$10.00

Conference Day - Friday, May 3rd, 2024 - 8am-5pm 

8:00am - 9:15am

Robert M. Arnold MD, to present “Family Conflict: They Are Just Unrealistic” Dr. Arnold will explore three reasons why seriously ill families and patients ask for things that you think are unreasonable, what is a headline, and how you can learn about an incapacitated patient’s values.

9:30am – 10:30am

Megan Christenson, MD to present " The Role of Palliative Care in Chronic Critical Illness Management." This talk will describe the features of chronic critical illness (CCI) and the outcomes that patients experience. It will discuss the symptom management needs of these patients such as pain, difficulty communicating and dyspnea. It will discuss the unique burden on families of CCI patients and offer evidence-based solutions of how each member of an interdisciplinary team can help address these barriers. Finally, it will touch on areas of research and future directions. 

Kelly Stone, MSN, RN, A-GPCNP-BC, CWCN-AP to present " Help! What do I do with this wound?" In this presentation, we will review TIME principles of wound healing and provide pearls on how to manage challenging non healing wounds.

10:45am – 12:00pm

Aparna Gupta DNP, FACHE, CPHQ, to present "Trends in Palliative Care Delivery and End of Life Care: Where are we headed in 2024? Dr. Gupta’s objectives are to discuss the overview of current state of the healthcare landscape and the role of palliative care delivery. She will describe the current state of palliative care models and the onramp to hospice in the context of background and recent developments as well as key quality, compliance and measurement areas in serious illness and end of life care delivery. She will highlight major areas of opportunity and concern, and the role of communities, patients, providers and the inter professional team.

1:00pm – 2:00pm

Most Difficult Case Conference: Current Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellows present their "Most Difficult Cases." In reviewing these unique and challenging cases, we will hear the most medically and psychosocially complex patient care scenarios faced by providers in the care of seriously ill patients, with each presenter discussing salient learning points ranging from therapeutic challenges to social barriers to care.

  • Melissa Marinelli, MD to present “When the Surrogate Can't Choose.” This talk will review a case in which a surrogate was unable to make decisions on behalf of a patient to such a degree that the hospital ultimately successfully applied to have a state guardian appointed. There will be a brief discussion of the difficulties associated with caring for a patient when a surrogate is unable or unwilling to make decisions for a patient.
  • Saman Misbah, DO to present “Unbefriended.” This case will explore challenges associated with taking care of patients who lack capacity and do not have POAs assigned.

Paula Molosky, PT, DPT, CLT and Katie Conrad, OTR/L Occupational Therapist III to present " Role of Therapy Across the Continuum of Palliative Care" In their talk, Ms. Molosky and Ms. Conrad plan to discuss the role of therapy (PT/OT/SLP) in the interdisciplinary team to help patient’s achieve optimal quality of life. Benefits of early intervention, ongoing goals throughout plan of care, and appropriate discharge planning. Review role of therapy in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.

2:15pm – 3:15pm

Rajiv Varandani, DO to present "Palliative Sedation: The basics, the ethical considerations, and the controversy.” Palliative sedation is a nebulous term that is fraught with ethical quandaries and administrative difficulties that affect clinical practice. We will delve into the topic of Palliative Sedation from an academic perspective, looking at the indications, pharmacologic considerations, and how to logistically practice. We will also acknowledge the ethical considerations and controversy that come with this topic.  

Mark Barash, MD to present "Non-Invasive Oxygen Delivery Methods." Learners will gain understanding of the indications and physiologic rationale and consequences of non-invasive oxygen delivery methods.  The learner will be provided with a review of use non invasive oxygen delivery methods for patients at end of life.

3:30pm – 4:45pm

Samantha Winemaker, BSc, MD, CCFP(PC), FCFP, to present " Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest - Insider’s Guide to Improving the Illness Experience."  Dr. Sammy Winemaker has been caring for patients and families in their homes for many years.  This has resulted in all sorts of ‘insider information’ through patient and family stories that has allowed her to understand the major ‘pain points' in a person’s health care journey.  She and her partner, Dr. Hsien Seow (a healthcare researcher), have deconstructed thousands of stories and revealed 7 essential skills/mindsets that will improve the experience for patients and families when facing serious illness.  She will explain how to move from an ‘in the dark’ experience to one that is ‘in the know’.  Dr. Sammy will explain how people can remain hopeful and realistic throughout their entire illness.

 

Planning Committee

Co-Directors of Activity: 

Renee Foutz, MD, Assistant Professor, GLPCC Co-Director, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin 

Paul Stellmacher, MD, Assistant Professor, GLPCC Co-Director Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin

NP Representation:

Katy Van Schyndle, AGPCNP-BC, APNP, ACHPN, Nurse Practitioner, GLPCC Nurse Practitioner Planner, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin

Program Coordinators:

Alison Green, Administrative Assistant Senior, Course Coordinator, GLPCC, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin

Amanda Szymkowski, BA, Administrative Coordinator, Course Coordinator, GLPCC, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin

 

The Abbey Resort
269 Fontana Blvd
Lake Geneva, WI 53147
United States
+1 (800) 709-1323
  • You can reserve your room at a discounted rate here:  Great Lakes Palliative Care Conference
  • Mention the 12th annual Great Lakes Palliative Care conference. 
  • Please reserve by Monday, April 1st, 2024 to receive the room rate. 

Please note: The temperature of the conference rooms may fluctuate, so please dress in layers. 

 

In accordance with the ACCME® Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, Standard 3, all in control of content must disclose any relevant financial relationships. The following in control of content had no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Speakers and Bios

Plenary Speakers 

Robert M. Arnold MD is a distinguished Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and in the University of Pittsburgh Center for Bioethics and Health Law. He was the Past-President of the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities as well as the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He has mentored both investigators and educators and helped start VitalTalk, a company whose aim is to ensure that every seriously ill patient has clinicians who can talk about what matters most. He is clinically active in palliative care.

Aparna Gupta DNP, FACHE, CPHQ serves as Vice President of Quality with NHPCO. Aparna is a board-certified adult nurse practitioner, with more than two decades of health care leadership experience spanning quality improvement, health care operations, executive leadership, payer programs, and implementation of CMS / CMMI programs. Aparna has worked with the geriatric and advanced illness population both from a clinician as well as programmatic leadership standpoint. She has also held responsibilities across the continuum of care for areas including bundled payments, provider relations, CMS Hospital Stars, quality measurement, patient safety, infection prevention, patient experience, regulatory accreditation, healthcare risk and compliance management. Aparna has led Transforming Care at the Bedside Teams (TCAB) and served as a master trainer for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as well as End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) projects. Aparna holds a national quality improvement certification and Fellow status with the American College of Healthcare Executives. Aparna’s current focus is on enhancing the health equity, quality and measurement capabilities of hospice and palliative care providers across the nation.

Samantha Winemaker, BSc., MD, CCFP(PC), FCFP is a graduate of McMaster University Medical School. She has completed residency training in Family Medicine, and fellowship training in Palliative Medicine. She is an associate clinical professor at McMaster University in the Department of Family Medicine, Division of Palliative Care. She is the co-host of the Waiting Room Revolution podcast, active educator, researcher, author and advocate for palliative care reform.

Concurrent Presenters 

Mark Barash, MD completed medical school in Chicago and went on to complete internal medicine residency and pulmonary and critical care medicine fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is an attending physician in the ICU at Froedtert Hospital and the Milwaukee VA. He also practices pulmonary medicine in the outpatient setting. His interests focus on the diagnosis and management of patients with scarring conditions of the lung (interstitial lung disease). He is also interested in pulmonary complications of hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) as this group of lung disorders shares many characteristics of interstitial lung disease. Dr. Barash is passionate about medical education and takes part in the mentoring of medical students, residents and fellows. Born in Russia, he speaks the language fluently. Outside of work, he enjoys travelling, good food and being in nature. 

Megan Christenson, MD is a Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Milwaukee. She attended medical school at University of Wisconsin and completed a Masters of Public Heath degree there with a focus on health equity. She completed an Internal Medicine Residency and a Fellowship in Critical Care at MCW.  She is planning a career path that combines work in palliative care and in the intensive care unit (ICU). 

Katie Conrad, OTR/L has been specializing in working with the oncology population for the last 5 years. I am currently the oncology clinical lead for our inpatient units at Froedtert Hospital. We have 94 inpatient beds dedicated to oncology including, newly diagnosed patients, patients undergoing inpatient treatment or clinical trials, general oncology patients admitted with acute medical concerns, and bone marrow/blood stem cell transplant patients.

Melissa Marinelli, MD, is currently completing a fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center. A lifelong Chicagoan, she completed medical school and then residency in Emergency Medicine at Northwestern. Her interest in Palliative Care developed naturally over the course of ten years practicing in a very high acuity Emergency Department. Her post-fellowship plans include practicing inpatient Palliative Care. Her interests include bedside teaching, patient-physician communication, shared-decision making and informed consent.  

Saman Misbah, DO, is Family Medicine trained and worked as a hospitalist in Central Illinois prior to starting Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Advocate Aurora System. 

Paula Molosky, PT, DPT, CLT is a physical therapist at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. She was worked at Froedtert for the past 10 years, with focus on oncology and vestibular rehab. She received her Doctorate of Physical therapy from Marquette University in 2013. Advanced training incudes certificate in Vestibular Rehab in 2017 and became a certified Lymphedema Therapist in 2018.

Kelly Stone, MSN, RN, A-GPCNP-BC, CWCN-AP obtained her BSN from Alverno, Milwaukee WI in 2010. Worked as staff RN at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee on a post-surgical oncology unit through 2015, while working towards MSN from Marquette University, which was obtained in 2015. Began advanced practice career at Medical College of WI as a NP on the Palliative Care team at Froedtert Hospital from 2015-2021. In spring 2021, transitioned to a position as NP with Wound Care at Froedtert and obtained Advance Practice Wound Care certification in 2022.

Rajiv Varandani, DO is an Emergency Medicine Physician & Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellow at Medical College of Wisconsin. Rajiv went to college at Northwestern University in Chicago (Go Cats!) and worked for Epic as a Project Manager, before going to medical school at Midwestern University in Chicago. Rajiv did his Emergency Medicine training at Detroit Receiving Hospital. His goal as an EM and HPM physician is to work to bridge the gap between the two fields, identifying that many patients often come to the ED multiple times in the last few months of their life, helping to create systems in place to see how clinicians can better meet these patients needs. His interests involved clinical, academic, and administrative challenges. When not in the hospital, Rajiv is enjoying time trying new restaurants with his wife, travelling, or sitting on the couch with his dog Milo.   

 

The following persons in control of content disclosed the following financial relationships which were reviewed via the MCW conflict of interest mitigation process and addressed.

 

Name
Company
Role
Robert Arnold
Up-to-Date
Vitaltalk
Contractor
Communication
Mark Barash
Boehringer Ingelheim
Speaking/Teaching
Samantha Winemaker
Hope for the best book
Co-author
 
 
 
ACCME Accreditation Statement:
The Medical College of Wisconsin is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
 
AMA Credit Designation Statement:
The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this live activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 

Hours of Participation for Allied Health Care Professionals: The Medical College of Wisconsin designates this activity for up to 6.5 hours of participation for continuing education for allied health professionals. 

Nurse Practitioners: Medical College of Wisconsin, Inc. is approved as a provider of nurse practitioner continuing education by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners: AANP Provider Number 150930.  This program has been approved for up to 6.5 contact hours of continuing education (which includes 1.0 hours of pharmacology).  Nurse Practitioners should claim only those hours actually spent participating in the CME activity.

Our program is accredited for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ which will count toward both RN Contact Hours and Social Work CE hours.

Available Credit

  • 6.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
    AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™
  • 6.50 Hours of Participation
    Hours of Participation credit.
  • 1.00 NP Pharmacology
    NP Pharmacology credit.
  • 6.50 NP Contact Hours

Price

Cost:
$10.00
Please login or register to take this course.

Physician

$     325.00

Allied Health

$     275.00

Fellow/Resident  

$     150.00

REGISTRATION:

Register at ocpe.mcw.edu/medicine. If you don’t have an account, click “Create New Visitor Account” in the lower right corner. Once your account is created, select Great Lakes Palliative Care Conference under “Featured Courses,” register, and follow the prompts. 

All registrations will be assessed $10.00 non-refundable processing fee.

There are no refunds.

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