Categories
Blog

Presenters at Palliative Care Symposium Call Experience ‘Energizing’

When Nadya Dimitrov, DPM, PA-C, first considered presenting her work at the National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research, she assumed the experience, and the conference itself, would be similar to several others she had attended over the years.

What she found instead was an inspiring and eye-opening level of engagement, discussion, and growth, said Dimitrov, Assistant Director of the Post-Professional Master’s Program in the Department of Physician Assistant Education at Stony Brook University in New York.

Nadya Dimitrov, DPM, PA-C, Stony Brook University, discusses her work at the 2018 National Symposium for Palliative Care Education and Research in San Diego.
Nadya Dimitrov, DPM, PA-C, Stony Brook University, discusses her work at the 2018 National Symposium for Palliative Care Education and Research in San Diego.

That intense networking and engagement is what keeps her coming back every year, said Dimitrov, who hopes to present again at this year’s conference. The Call for Abstracts is open until March 31 to present in a workshop, plenary, panel, paper or poster session at the 2019 Symposium, Oct. 11-12, in San Diego.

“The interaction with the other Symposium participants is incredible,” Dimitrov said about her experience as a presenter. “Many palliative care educators like me just hadn’t found that kind of networking in any other setting.”

New Ideas and Opportunities

That first year, Dimitrov presented a poster on “Interactive Communication Dialogues and Enhanced Communication Skills.” Symposium attendees from universities across the country stopped by to view her work and ask questions. New connections and new projects grew out of those discussions, Dimitrov said.

Since then, Dimitrov has continued to present at the Symposium and has discovered new funding opportunities, as well as a growing impact of her work. As a result of one presentation, an attendee suggested her for a grant that was a perfect fit for her work, Dimitrov said.

Sheri Mauk, BS, University of Colorado Denver, shares her poster on "Conversations of Care: Implementation and Evaluation of an Advance Care Planning Discussion Program," at the 2018 Symposium.
Sheri Mauk, BS, University of Colorado Denver, shares her poster on “Conversations of Care: Implementation and Evaluation of an Advance Care Planning Discussion Program,” at the 2018 Symposium.

At the 2018 Symposium, Dimitrov presented “Curricular Mapping to Incorporate Palliative Care Training into a PA Program: Keep it All Together!” The reaction and interaction was exactly what she has come to expect at the annual conference, she said.

“The dialog that occurs is just tremendous,” Dimitrov said. “You have like-minded people interested in what you have to say, and the quality of that interaction is so valuable. The connections and networking are really personal.”

Energizing Interaction and Collaboration

Kate Murphy, DNP, CRNP, AOCN, ACHPN, said she had a similar experience presenting her poster, “End-of-Life Education in Nurse Residency: Providing the Tools for Success,” at the 2018 Symposium.

At left, Kate Murphy, DNP, CRNP, AOCN, ACHPN, shares her poster on "End-of-Life Education in Nurse Residency" at the 2018 Symposium
At left, Kate Murphy, DNP, CRNP, AOCN, ACHPN, shares her poster on “End-of-Life Education in Nurse Residency” at the 2018 Symposium

“It was so energizing to take the project I worked really hard on for my DNP and share it with a group of people who have similar interests in education,” said Murphy, who works in the Department of Hematology/Oncology at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. “The conversations with other educators about their experiences had my mind swirling with ideas for future projects and collaborations.”

“Being able to present my poster felt like validation of months of work I put into it,” Murphy said. “I look forward to presenting more work in the future.”

Don’t Miss the 2019 Symposium!

The CSU Shiley Institute for Palliative Care convenes the annual Symposium to bring thought leaders in palliative care scholarship together and ensure that palliative care concepts are woven into academic, clinical or non-clinical education, and palliative care expertise is cultivated in future healthcare professionals.

Early Bird registration is now open for the 2019 Symposium, to be Oct. 11-12, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina, Bay Tower. With a theme of “Advancing Palliative Care: Leading into the Future,” the Symposium will feature keynote addresses by leadership and resiliency expert Dr. Daniel Friedland, and palliative care visionary Dr. Christine Ritchie.

Reserve your room now at our discounted conference rate. For more information, visit our Symposium detail page or call 760-750-7289.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *