Programme Committee Update (March 2015)

Members of the 2016 programme committee*enthusiastically participated in the first planning session for the 21stInternational Congress on Palliative Care, held on March 13th 2015 in Montreal. Based on a careful review of feedback and evaluations from the 2014 Congress as well as a strong commitment to ensure the highest quality and most relevant congress possible, the committee worked together to articulate their “vision” and formulate concrete recommendations to deliver this vision.

Expanded Topics

A new abstract review process will be in place for the 2016 Congress whereby each committee member will act as lead reviewer and team leader for one or more abstract topics, with at least four readers per topics. More than 30 topic areas have been identified including complementary therapies/new natural analgesics, policy development and advocacy, home care, palliative care in the ICU, research methods, art and music therapy, pain and symptom control, and hospice/palliative care for underserved populations.

Speakers

The Congress Chair, Bernard Lapointe, was pleased to announce that the French philosopher Eric Fiat has been confirmed as a plenary speaker. Dr Fiat presented at the annual conference of the Société Française d'Accompagnement et de

Soins Palliatifs in Montpellier last Juneand was reported to be outstanding.

Other speakers will be confirmed in the upcoming months.

Highest Quality Presentations and Posters

The intention is to have very high quality oral presentations and posters, with the potential for guided poster tours and moderated poster sessions, all designed to better engage the audience as well as showcase innovative research projects.

Increased Language Access

The committee was in agreement that greater access to French sessions was important. Thus, simultaneous interpretation will be available for plenaries, and at least one concurrent seminar and one workshop session per time slot throughout the Congress.

In addition, increased simultaneous translation will be available for French presentations, so that English-speakers will have better access to “great voices” from the Francophone milieu.

Planned Seminars

Four concurrent seminars are planned for the first day of the congress:

  • Pediatrics – Co-chaired by Mary Ellen Macdonald and Franco Carnevale
  • Clinical Master Class – Co-chaired by David Henderson and Leonie Herx
  • Nursing – Co-chaired by Maryse Bouvette and Bessy Bitzas
  • Whole Person Care – Chaired by Tom Hutchinson

Special seminars are being planned as follows:

  • Pharmacotherapy (Bonica Orng)
  • Research Methods (Robin Cohen, Sean Morrison)

The 2016 clinical master class will focus on cancer, after two years of non-cancer themes.

Self-Care Activities

The plan is to build on and expand the self-care activities in 2016 as they were great demand at the last Congress.

* Programme Committee:Carla Alexander, Bessy Bitzas, Maryse Bouvette, Franco Carnevale, Harvey Chang, Robin Cohen, Linda Crelinsten, Teresa Dellar, James Downer, Justine Farley, Kappy Flanders, Cory Ingram, Bernard Lapointe, Mary Ellen Macdonald, Chris MacKinnon, Suzanne O’Brien, Bonica Orng, Devon Phillips, Jean Zigby, April O’Donoughue, Robert O’Donoughue, Susan Garin, Hitesh Bhanabhai, Hinda Goodman, Mark Hamel, David Henderson, Leonie Herx, Adeline Khadoury, Sean Morrison, Elena Neamt, Deborah Salmon, Antonio, Vigano, David Wright