The Open Society Foundations’ (OSF) Public Health Program is pleased to invite you to apply to participate in a special five-day Taste of Palliative Medicine course based on the Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Curriculum (PCIC). This course will be presented in English.
With the evolution of modern medicine in each of our countries, attention to the experience of the patient and family becomes ever more important. The early introduction of palliative care practices concurrent with strategies to manage any disease process can both improve the experience of our patients and prolong their lives. It can also help every healthcare professional achieve greater satisfaction, with less conflict.
Course Content
This course will provide participants with:
- An Overview of Value of Early Palliative Care
- Strategies to Assess and Manage Core Symptoms, Including: Bone, Abdominal and Neuropathic Pain, Nausea & Vomiting, Constipation & Bowel Obstruction, Dyspnea, Delirium, Anorexia & Cachexia
- Approaches to Effective Communication & Decision-Making, Including how to: Communicate Good and Bad News Effectively, Communicate Prognosis, Facilitate Difficult Decision-Making, Including Withholding or Withdrawing Fluids, Nutrition and Antibiotics
- Care in the Last Hours of Life, Including: Preparing for the End of Life, Managing the Dying Process
- Personal Reflection about Your Experience: Caring for Patients and Families Living with Advanced Illnesses, The Impact of Loss Compassion Fatigue, Burnout on You and how to Stay Resilient
Comments from Participants in 2021
This course was very comprehensive and informative, and I really appreciate how it was able to incorporate such essential issues and concerns that are not commonly discussed.
This course was amazing! It was full of useful information. And it was also too emotional and exciting for me. I learned so much! I improved my knowledge and skills for patient communication.
Unique professional experience, extremely useful and the best teachers to learn from.
Taste palliative medicine in Salzburg and you will need it again!!
Course Faculty
Our faculty are all leaders from both Europe and the United States of America.
- Frank D. Ferris, MD, FAAHPM, FAACE (Course Director)
Associate Program Director, Hospice & Palliative Medicine Education, OhioHealth, Professor of Palliative and Specialty Medicine Ohio University, and Principal, Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Curriculum, Columbus, Ohio, USA
- Ágnes Csikós, MD, PhD, Med.Habil.
Director, Institute of Primary Care, Department of Palliative Medicine, University of Pécs Medical School, Pécs, Hungary
- Alyssa Tilly, MD
Assistant Professor (Adults & Pediatrics), University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
- Joe El Khoury, MD, MPH
Physician (Adults & Pediatrics), Centre Hospitalier Public d’Hauteville, France & Palliative Care Consultant, Balsam, The Lebanese Center for Palliative Care, Beirut, Lebanon
- Kyriakos Stylianides, MD
Medical Director of PASYKAF Association, Eden and St. Michaels Hospices, and Consultant to the Ministry of Health for Palliative Care Legislation, Cyprus
- Pamelyn Close, MD, MPH
International Palliative Medicine Consultant / Educator (Adults & Pediatrics), Mendocino, California, USA
- Shannon Y. Moore, MD, MPH, FAAHPM
International Palliative Medicine Consultant / Educator, Poulsbo, Washington, USA
- Snezana M. Bosnjak, MD, PhD
Research Professor, Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia; ESMO / ESCO Faculty: Supportive and Palliative Care
Course Activities
All sessions will be very interactive using polling in the large group sessions and many small-group case-based discussions. In preparation for the course, participants will be asked to watch several video presentations online before the course begins at a website that will be set up specifically for this course. This content will help participants prepare for the small-group case-based discussions. During the course, participants will be asked to do a lot of personal reflection about the experience of patients and families, and the care they provide. At the end of the course, each participant will present a personal reflection project that incorporates something from the arts and humanities.
Course Eligibility
Physicians interested in learning about palliative care. Teams of professionals (physicians, nurses) interested in developing multidisciplinary palliative care teams in their institutions. Priority will be given to physicians, and teams of two or more professionals working in the same clinical setting, with an interest in palliative care in Europe and Central Asia. Applicants are also welcome from other parts of the World. The final selection of participants will be made by OSF and leading palliative care experts.
Support
All participants need to make their own travel arrangements. Travel will be covered up to a specific amount for participants from Albania € 300, Armenia € 400, Azerbaijan € 500, Belarus € 400, Bosnia and Herzegovina € 200, Bulgaria € 300, Croatia € 200, Cyprus € 300, Czech Republic € 200, Estonia € 300, Georgia € 400, Greece € 300, Hungary € 200, Kazakhstan € 700, Kosovo € 200, Kyrgyzstan € 700, Latvia € 300, Lithuania € 300, Moldova € 300, Mongolia € 800, Montenegro € 300, North Macedonia € 300, Romania € 200, Russian Federation € 400, Serbia € 200, Slovakia € 200, Slovenia € 200, Tajikistan € 700, Ukraine € 400, Uzbekistan € 700, or other European countries € 200. For participants from other countries, travel grants will be awarded on a case-by-case basis subject to approval by the OMI.
Accommodation at Schloss Arenberg and all meals will be provided.
Visa costs, in-country transportation costs, insurance, and per diems are not covered and are the responsibility of each participant.
Application Process
Applications must be submitted online via the OMI Application Platform.
Deadline: Applications must be received by January 6, 2023. Selected candidates will be notified by January 16, 2023.