Sponsored by Connecticut Coalition to Improve End-Of-Life Care (CTEOL) and the Kanarek Center for Palliative Care, the CTEOL Spring Conference will take place on March 30 from 8am to 4:30pm in Fairfield. 

The keynote address, Responding to Spiritual Distress: The Art of Presence, will be presented by Christina Pchalski, MD, MS, FACP, a professor of medicine and health science, and the director of The George Washington University Institute for Spirituality and Health. This will be followed by The Existential Plight of Cancer: Its Spiritual Dimensions with Mark Lazenby, PhD, APRN, FAAN. He is an advanced practice nurse in the field of oncology, and an associate professor of nursing at Yale School of Nursing. Kevin Toolis, a television producer, BAFTA-winning film director and writer, will present My Father’s Wake: How the Irish Teach Us to Live, Love & Die. Lisa Caramico, MD, an anesthesiologist, will focus on 18 Months and Beyond, followed by Waltzing the Reaper with performer Judith Gantly.

CTEOL is a statewide coalition that seeks to improve care for the dying and their families, and to ensure that everyone has information about and access to compassionate, quality end-of-life care. They advocate for professional and institutional standards; continuity of care; patient and family satisfaction; and an appreciation of spirituality, religious and cultural diversity. 

CTEOL Spring Conference fees for members and non-members are $110 and $135. Full-time students are $65; they must submit a form from an academic advisor affirming student’s current full-time status. Continuing education credits will be offered.

Sponsorship options are available; contact [email protected] for more information. Institutional membership levels are also available. There are also nonprofit vendor tables for $250, and for-profit  vendor tables for $350.

For more information and to register, visit Fairfield.edu/CTEOL. Location: Fairfield University, Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, Kanarek Center for Palliative Care, Rm 103, 1073 North Benson Rd, Fairfield.