Registration is now open for our Eighth Annual Palliative Care Professional Conference, to be held on the CSU San Marcos campus on November 6, 2026. To register, please follow the QR code below or click this link to go to the registration page. Please hurry—seating is limited! Please see the program details and schedule below. 4.75 CEUs have been authorized for Nursing, Social Work, and Medical professionals.

Our conference will address opportunities and challenges that emerge for families and patients planning for future healthcare needs in the context of serious illness and end of life care. Our program is suited to professionals across disciplines who work in palliative care, hospice care, home health care, health education, and patient advocacy.  Presenters and discussion panelists will explore questions related to advance care planning, planning documents like the POLST form, surrogate decision making, home healthcare needs, the transition to assisted living, and end of life care. Speakers will focus on culturally competent care and specific challenges in caring for families and patients diagnosed with dementia and progressive cognitive illnesses. Presentations will focus on practical approaches to emerging issues, hoping to strengthen the care that we provide to patients and families across disciplines, settings, and stages in the progression of ageing and illness.  Conference attendees will enjoy breakfast, lunch, and opportunities to meet and network with colleagues across professions.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the conference, attendees will be:

--Better prepared to assist patients and families with advance care planning conversations;

--Better equipped to direct patients and families to healthcare resources that address specific individual needs;

--More conversant with emerging questions and developments in palliative care, home healthcare, and end of life care.

Draft Schedule: “Planning for Future Care:  Promises and Predicaments”

8:30-8:50:  Welcome and Introductions

8:50-9:50: “Tales from the Trenches of Advance Care Planning,” Nathan Kottkamp JD, Founder, National Healthcare Decisions Day

10:10-11:10: “When Suffering Is Currently Non-Observable or Patients' Expressed Wishes Are Not Honored: A Debate on Advance Care Planning for Late-Stage Dementia.” Stanley Terman MD and Karl Steinberg MD

11:20-12:10: Panel discussion: “Managing the Care Continuum through Transitions in Care Settings”:  Panelists TBA. 

12:10-1:00: Lunch

1:00-1:50: Panel discussion: “Cultural Sensitivity in Advance Care Planning.” Panelists include Dr. Daniel Calac, Medical Director, Indian Health Center, Rincon CA; Brenda Miller RN, San Diego Black Nurses Association; and Rhodora “Dotts” LaCap RN, Philippine Nurses Association of San Diego County.

2:00-3:00: Speaker:  “Evolving Beyond the Checkbox Era: Meaningful Advance Care Planning Innovation Across a Health System,” Deborah Unger MD, Assoc. Medical Director and Director of Medical Informatics, Providence Institute for Human Caring. (Providence Institute’s work was recognized for a prior year’s annual CCCC Innovations Award.)