Schedule ready for the 2023 National Clinicians Conference on Medical Aid in Dying

The American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying (ACA MAiD) is thrilled to announce that after diligent and intense work, the Curriculum Committee for the 2023 National Clinicians Conference on Medical Aid in Dying has finalized the conference schedule. Read it below:

Welcome Reception – February 16, 2023, Thursday

7 to 9 pm. Location to be announced.

Day one – February 17, 2023. Friday

8:45 to 8:50 (5 min): Housekeeping

8:50 to 9:00 (10 min) Welcome/Introduction
Peg Sandeen, PhD, MSW, CEO, Death with Dignity, Conference Co-chair

9:00 to 9:50 (50 min) Keynote — Some Myths about Aid in Dying
Lonny Shavelson, MD, Chair, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying, Conference Co-chair

9:50 to 10:10 (20 min) State Differences — Present and Future Legal Considerations
Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, Ph.D., HEC-C, Health Law Professor and Bioethicist, Health Law Institute at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota

10:10 to 11:05 (55 min) Hospices and Aid in Dying — A land of many journeys
Presenter/Moderator: Amy Yoffe, LCSW
Access TLC Home Hospice, California
Panel: Lisa Stolarczyk, MD, High Desert Hospice, New Mexico / Hope Wechkin, MD Evergreen Hospice, Washington / Deborah North, MD Hospice of the Northwest, Washington / Pamela Brown, RN Eden Hospice, Montana

11:05 to 11:30 (25 min) Break. Refreshments.

11:30 to 12:25 (55 min) Prognostic Dilemmas in Aid in Dying
Presenter/Moderator: Kelly McCann, MD, PhD. Medical Oncologist, Assistant Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Prognostic evaluations for cancer patients receiving targetted/advanced therapies
Panel:

• Lynette Cederquist, MD, Palliative Care, University of California San Diego Health – A look at the diversity of situations in prognostic evaluations
• Stephanie Marquet, MD, Hospice East Bay, Pleasant Hill, California – The differences and similarities between a hospice prognosis and an aid-in-dying prognosis
• Katalin Roth, MD, JD. Professor of Medicine, Director of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, GW Medical Faculty Associates. Washington, DC – Prognostic evaluations for the extreme elderly

12:25 to 1:25 (60 min) Lunch

1:25 to 2:20 (55 min) ALS & the Complexities of Neurodegenerative diseases — From prognosis to ingestion
Presenter/Moderator: Kara Bischoff, MD. Palliative Care. University of California San Francisco
Panel:

• Christina Vaughan, MD / Neuropalliative Care. Associate Professor, Neurology. University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Ryan Spielvogel, MD / Core Faculty, Sutter Family Medicine Program, Sacramento, California. Medical Director, Sutter End of Life Option Act Services
• Deborah Armstrong, JD, New Mexico. Co-author, Elizabeth Whitefield End-of-Life Options Act
• Audra Hindes, MS Vice President, Care Services. ALS Association Golden West Chapter

2:20 to 3:15 (55 min) Clinician Attendance on the Aid-in-Dying day — Doctors, nurses, volunteers, end-of-life doulas, hospice staff
Presenter/Moderator: Chris Fruitrich, Volunteer, End of Life Washington
Volunteer Systems Advisor, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying
Panel:

• Janie Rakow, End-of-Life Doula. New Jersey, Director of End-of-Life Doula Education, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying, Cofounder, FareWell Doula
• Gabrielle Jimenez, LVN, CHPLN Mission Hospice, California, Nurse, End-of-Life Doula, educator, author
• Joel Rosen, MD, Family Medicine, Santa Fe Mobile MD, New Mexico, Ani Sinclair, MA, Volunteer, End of Life Choices Oregon; Educator; Team Leader

3:15 to 3:40 (25 min) Break. Refreshments.

3:40 to 4:35 (55 min) The Pharmacology of Aid in Dying, and a Red Flags Update
Carol Parrot, MD End of Life Washington, Lonny Shavelson, MD American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying

4:35 to 5:30 (55 min) Ethical Challenges of Aid in Dying: Case discussions by members of the Ethics Consultation Service, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying

Moderator: Jeanne Kerwin, DMH, HEC-C, Consultant in Bioethics and Palliative Care, Former Member, New Jersey State Advisory Council on End-of-Life Care
Panel:

• Constance Holden, RN, MSN, Chair, Ethics Consultation Team, Boulder Community Health, Colorado
• Jean Abbott, MD, MH, HEC-C, Faculty, Center for Bioethics and Humanities; Faculty, Palliative Care Masters Program; University of Colorado
• Yvette Vieira, MMH, HEC-C / Manager, Palliative Care and Bioethics, Atlantic Health System, New Jersey

Case 1. A patient pursues Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking (VSED) to be able to meet eligibility for aid in dying

Case 2. Should a patient be required to relinquish aid-in-dying medications if the provider believes they no longer meet eligibility for aid in dying due to a change in life expectancy (greater than 6-month prognosis)

Case 3: Navigating Conflict Between Professional Nursing Commitments to Patients and Institutional “Leave the Room” Policies

5:30 to 5:35 (5 min) Close Day 1
Various evening activities, to be announced
Meetings of Networking Groups, to be announced

Day 2: February 18, 2023. Saturday

9:00 to 9:55 (55 min) Keynote: Race, Religion, and Spiritual Considerations in Aid in Dying
Presenter/Moderator: Terri Laws, PhD
Associate Professor of African and African American Studies, Race and Health
University of Michigan—Dearborn
Panel:

• Tracey Bush, MSW, LCSW, Regional Practice Leader, End of Life Option Act Program
• Kaiser Permanente, Southern California

9:55 to 10:50 (55 min) Capacity and Judgment Evaluations for Patients Considering Aid in Dying
Presenter/Moderator: Thomas Strouse, MD Psychiatry, Hospice and Palliative Care, University of California, Los Angeles Professor, Semel Institute of Neuroscience and Human Behavior
Panel:

• Jonathan Treem, MD Hospice and Palliative Medicine Assistant Professor, University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus
• Brieze Bell, MD Assistant Clinical Professor, Division of Palliative Medicine, University of California San Francisco

10:50 to 11:20 (30 min) Break. Refreshments.

11:20 to 12:15 (55 min) Nursing Care: Evaluating, informing, following, attending
Presenter/Moderator: Thalia DeWolf, RN, CHPN
Nursing Education Director, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying
Panel:

• Elizabeth Stanton, RN MSN/Ed Executive Vice President, Compassionate Endings New Jersey
• Cherry Hill, New Jersey / Andrew Holland, RN Revisit Nurse, Hospice East Bay Pleasant Hill, California
• Richard Width, RN Nurse Case Manager, Atlantic Home Hospice Morristown, New Jersey
• Pamela Brown, RN Eden Hospice / Bozeman, Montana

12:15 to 1:15 (60 min) Lunch

1:15 to 2:10 (55 min) Grief Support after Medical Aid in Dying
Panel:

• Sally Thomae, MSW Aftercare Support Contractor, End of Life Washington, End of Life Doula and Coach
• Joe Reynolds, Bereaved spouse of medical-aid-in-dying participant
• Joy Rodriguez, End-of-Life Doula Burden Lifters of Honolulu Leader, aid-in-dying bereavement group. Hawai’i
• Leilani Maxera, MPH, LCSW Therapist & Death Worker, Kaipuokaualoku. Hawaiʻi
• Clark Tyler, Bereaved spouse of medical-aid-in-dying participant, Kauiʻi, Hawaiʻi

2:10 to 3:05 (55 min) Socially-Challenging Settings and Circumstances — homeless and impoverished; family conflicts; skilled nursing and long-term care facilities.
Presenter/Moderator: Ellen Wiebe, MD Clinical Professor, University of British Columbia
Panelists/Case Presenters:

• Rebecca Hudson, Masters of Health Advocacy, End of Life Washington
• Tracey Bush, MSW, LCSW Regional Practice Leader, End of Life Option Act Program
• Kaiser Permanente, Southern California
• Ryan Spielvogel, MD Core Faculty, Sutter Sacramento Family Medicine Program. California. Medical Director, Sutter End of Life Option Act Services

3:05 to 3:35 (30 min) Break. Refreshments.

3:35 to 4:30 (55 min) Medically Challenging Cases: Complex gut function; Opiate/benzodiazepine tolerance; Self-administration by oral, rectal, PEG and ostomy routes.
Presenter/Moderator: Lonny Shavelson, MD; Thalia DeWolf, RN, CHPN
Panel, case presentations:

• Gaya Andzel, MD. Endocrinologist and aid-in-dying physician. Loma Linda, California
• Mark Apfel, MD. Palliative care and aid-in-dying physician. Boonville, California.
• Lisa Stolarczyk, MD. High Desert Hospice, and aid-in-dying physician. Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Tin Do, MD. Emergency and Aid-in-Dying Physician. San Francisco, California
• Joanna Hooper, MD. Family Practice. Taos Whole Health, New Mexico

4:30 to 4:45 (15 min) Closing comments
Peg Sandeen, PhD, MSW. Death with Dignity. Conference Co-chair
Lonny Shavelson, MD. American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying. Conference Co-Chair

Various evening activities, to be announced
Meetings of Networking Groups, to be announced

Curriculum Committee:

• Lonny Shavelson, MD. Committee Co-chair. California.
• Peg Sandeen, PhD, MSW. Death with Dignity. Committee Co-chair. Oregon.
• Ryan Spielvogel, MD. Core Faculty, Sutter Sacramento Family Medicine Program.
• Medical Director, Sutter End of Life Option Act Services. California
• Thalia DeWolf, RN, CHPN. Director of Nursing Education, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in dying. California.
• Janie Rakow, End of Life Doula. Director of Doula Education, American Clinicians Academy on Medical aid in dying. New Jersey
• Chris Fruitrich, Volunteer. End of Life Washington. Volunteer Systems Advisor, American Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying
• Amy Yoffe, LCSW. Access TLC Home Hospice, California
• Julie Hertl, MSW, LICSW. Kaiser Permanente, Washington