20th Annual Pain & Palliative Care Conference
Register now for June 16On Tuesday, June 16, 2026 the 20th Annual Pain & Palliative Care Conference will bring together physicians, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chaplains, and healthcare professionals to share research and clinical best practices to advance the field of palliative care and improve care for patients with serious illnesses and their loved ones.
Event Details
Topics
- KEYNOTE: Medical Aid in Dying in Illinois
- Buprenorphine in Palliative Care
- Restorative Justice in Palliative Care
- Legacy Work in Palliative Care
- Advanced Liver Disease
- Panel: Hoping for a Miracle
- Evolution of Pain Care
Confirmed Speakers
- KEYNOTE: Eytan Szmuilowicz, MD
- Melanie Smith, MD
- Aretha Boakye-Donkor, MD
- Jaleesa Harris, MD
- Nivetha Saravanan, MD
- Edward Peñate, DMin, BCC
- Erin A. Strong, MD, MBA, MPH
- Kia L. Ferrer, PhD, CCLS
- Ornella Razetto, LCSW, ACM-SW
- Elijah Kindred
- Rev. Pamela N. Floyd, MD, MPH, MDiv.
- Judith Paice, PhD, RN
Conference Fees
| General | $50 |
|---|---|
| Northwestern Affiliates | $30 |
| Students, residents, fellows | $20 |
| Industry | $250 |
| Virtual Only | $50 |
Target Audience
Nurses, APRNs, physician assistants, physicians, social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, chaplains, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals.
Learning Objectives
As a result of attending this conference, participants will be able to:
- Compare Deb’s Law (SB1950) with other Medical Aid in Dying statutes in the United States and Canada and identify eligibility criteria for requests in Illinois and appropriate clinical responses to Medical Aid in Dying inquiries.
- Review the pharmacologic properties of buprenorphine, examine available formulations and equianalgesic dosing, and analyze its challenges in palliative care pain management.
- Examine restorative justice principles and analyze their use for clinical encounters involving race and racism in palliative medicine.
- Identify the role and value of legacy work in palliative care and review strategies and tools for initiating and facilitating conversations with patients and families.
- Analyze various clinical challenges related to transplant eligibility, and identify communication and symptom-management strategies to support patients and families during high-stakes liver-related decision-making.
- Examine the influence of hope for a miracle on medical decision-making and apply palliative care communication and symptom-support strategies to support goal-concordant care.
- Review historical perspectives on pain management in palliative care and explore emerging challenges and strategies to support safe and effective pain control.
Contact Hours
This nursing continuing professional development activity has been submitted to VTL Center for Professional Development for approval to award contact hours.
VTL Center for Professional Development is an accredited approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Additionally, this activity provides continuing education contact hours for social workers and physical/ occupational therapists through Northwestern Medicine.
For more information regarding contact hours, please contact cancer@northwestern.edu.
Conference Leadership
DIRECTOR:
Judith Paice, PhD, RN
Director
Cancer Pain Program, Northwestern Medicine
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
CO-CHAIRS:
Edward Peñate, DMin, BCC
Palliative Care Chaplain
Palliative Medicine/Spiritual Care & Education
Northwestern Medicine
Eytan Szmuilowicz, MD
Palliative Medicine
Northwestern Medicine
Additional Information
For additional information about the event, please contact cancer@northwestern.edu.