Seed Grants for Academic Faculty Announced

Seed Grant Funding from the Gary and Mary West Foundation will Support Academic Faculty Education and Research

May 1, 2017 (SAN DIEGO) – The California State University Shiley Institute for Palliative Care (Institute) has received support for a second year from the Gary and Mary West Foundation. This year’s funding will provide support for $45,000 in seed grants for academic faculty attending the 2nd National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research. The event, which will be held September 28 – 29, 2017 on the campus of California State University San Marcos, is designed to advance education and research in palliative care among academic faculty. Applications for seed grant funding will be accepted beginning May 1 through August 31, 2017. Recipients of the grant awards will be announced at the symposium.

West Foundation Collaboration Builds Research Momentum

“In collaboration with the Foundation, we look to build on last year’s momentum to significantly advance research opportunities in palliative care available to this year’s symposium attendees,” said CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care Executive Director Helen B. McNeal. “These seed grants will help to foster exploration, innovation and research at the nation’s colleges and universities and advance the work of dedicated faculty supporting the workforce responsible for caring for patients with long-term illnesses.”

Palliative care provides those with a serious or chronic illness – from the time of diagnosis throughout the course of treatment – care that addresses not only physical needs but also their psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs and optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and managing suffering. It is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists and other practitioners. According to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, more than 90 million Americans are living with serious illness today and this number is expected to significantly increase with more than 10,000 U.S. baby boomers turning 65 every day.

Junior- to Early-mid-career Faculty are Encouraged to Apply

Faculty planning to attend the symposium are encouraged to submit seed grant proposals for palliative care educational and research projects that improve care and enhance quality of life for seniors and family caregivers. Potential topics areas include: home-based palliative care, community-based palliative care, aging-in-place, frailty, addressing multiple chronic conditions, stress management for seniors, shared-decision making for seniors and broader dissemination of palliative care services for seniors. Two $10,000 grants will be awarded to junior- to early- mid-career faculty and five $5,000 grants will be awarded to junior faculty.

“Palliative care has tremendous potential to improve the quality of life for seriously-ill seniors in this country,” said Tim Lash, West Health’s Chief Strategy Officer. “Unfortunately, the demand for palliative care is outpacing the current capacity in the field. This grant funding will inspire and engage faculty and researchers who train the palliative care workforce. Palliative care is a critical component to enabling many seniors to successfully age in place with dignity, quality of life and independence.”

University Faculty From Across US Attend Symposium

The Symposium brings together faculty from across the US who teach and conduct research in the field of palliative care and related areas. The 2017 Symposium is building upon the event’s success last year, where faculty from 29 academic institutions from across the US gathered in San Diego, and five seed grants were awarded. Seed grant awardees present the results of their work at the following year’s Symposium, further amplifying the reach of their work.

Detailed information about the seed grant application is now available on the Symposium website. Faculty members interested in or engaged in palliative care education and research are invited to learn more about the seed grants, the symposium or to register to attend by visiting csupalliativecare.org/symposium. For further information, call the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care at 760-750-7289.

About the CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care

The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care is dedicated to increasing access to and awareness of palliative care by educating current and future professionals as well as community members. It offers palliative care-focused professional development and continuing education courses that are enhancing the skills of current and future healthcare professionals across the country and around the world. Housed within the largest university system in the United States, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the trained palliative care workforce needed to meet the growing number of chronically or seriously ill people in all care settings, today and tomorrow.

About the Gary and Mary West Foundation

The Gary and Mary West Foundation is a private non-operating foundation solely funded by Gary and Mary West that is dedicated to helping make successful aging a reality for America’s seniors. The Foundation, in collaboration with the Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center, is working together toward a singular West Health mission dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. The Foundation, which accepts grant proposals by invitation only, is based in San Diego. Learn more at westhealth.org/ and follow us @WestHealth.

CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care Media Contact:
Contact: Steve Dahl
Contact Me
(760) 750-7292

Media Contact:
Contact: Tim Ingersoll
tpingersoll@westhealth.org
(858) 412-8727