Past Events
Past events and power point slides to download (when available). Some slide translations in Spanish and Mandarin are available.
In partnership with Stanford Health Care's Health Education, Engagement, and Promotion program, we are happy to provide free virtual events to the public and clinicians. Content is designed with your input to meet your group's specific needs. We provide interpreters and translated materials as well. Click on the button below to request a session with us!
May 5th, 2021
Caregiver: A Love Story Live Event
Presenter: Dr. Shireen Heidari, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford Palliative Care
This award-winning documentary short, Caregiver: A Love Story, puts a human face to the toll -- physical, emotional and financial – that afflicts most family members who care for their loved ones at home, and sheds light on the growing crisis of caregivers in our country. Please join us to view the film together and for an informative and helpful discussion with the film’s producer and director, Dr. Jessica Zitter.
April 16th, 2021
Life is a Journey- Plan Ahead!
Co-hosted by Santa Clara Valley Medical Center's Palliative Care
Presenter: Dr. Nicky Quinlan, Chief, Division of Palliative Care at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
April 16th is “National Healthcare Decisions Day,” a day when we focus on the importance of advance care planning. Advance care planning is the process of discussing your values, goals, and preferences for your health care. It is an ongoing process that is revised throughout life's journey. Part of it involves completing a living will, and selecting a healthcare power of attorney, also called an advance health care directive. Join us to learn more and start the process!
April 15th, 2021
Ask Me Anything About Palliative Care
Presenters: Grant Smith, MD (palliative care doctor), Lucia Hollowel, MSW (social worker), and Kim Sickler, CNS (Clinical Nurse Specialist).
Hosted by San Francisco Community Living Campaign
In this hourlong event for older adults and people living with disabilities, members of each part of our palliative care interdisciplinary team will be available to answer any of your questions about palliative care in general. Come ready with questions! The presenters will not be able to answer any personal medical questions.
March 25th, 2021
South Asian Food & Cultural Practices in Western Living: Pursuing Heart Health & Well-being
Presenter: Vijaya Parameswaran, MS, RD, CDE, Registered Dietitian at Stanford's South Asian Translational Heart Institute (SSATHI)
Co-hosted by Sukham (sukham.org)
In this free webinar, Ms. Parameswaran will show us how to integrate South Asian foods and cultural practices in our Western lives as we pursue heart health and well-being. Topics discussed will include incorporating indigenous grains for nutrient density and diversity, and the role of cultural practices like fasting.
February 11th, 2021
An Introduction to Advance Care Planning
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care Physician, Clinical Assistant Prof. of Medicine
Whether you are a person living with a serious illness, a caregiver, or the healthiest you have ever been, having some form of a care plan in the event you are unable to speak for yourself, is important for providing you and your family with the comfort and confidence knowing that your wishes will be honored no matter what happens. In this webinar, we will define advance health care planning, provide a framework for thinking about your wishes, and give guidance for talking to your doctors and loved ones about your wishes.
January 27th, 2021
An Introduction to Palliative Care: How palliative care teams support the mental and emotional health of people living with serious illness and their caregivers
Presented to San Mateo County's In-Home Supportive Services caregivers by:
Gary Bertuccelli, LCSW, ACHP-SW, palliative care social worker; Keri Brenner, MD, MPA, palliative care physician and psychiatrist; Amy Yotopoulous, MHA, MS, Caregiver Center Program Manager
December 9th, 2020
An Introduction to Palliative Care for Grief Support Volunteers with Kara Spanish Services
Presenter: Dr. Josh Fronk, palliative care physician, Clinical Assistant Prof. of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Clinical Director, Outpatient Palliative Care
Dr. Fronk will give an overview of palliative care to volunteers in local nonprofit, Kara Grief Support Spanish Services. Live interpreted into Spanish by Stanford Health Care's Interpreter Services team.
November 19th, 2020
Everything You Want to Know About Palliative Care
This free webinar for the general public will clarify what palliative care is, with a panel of each member of the interdisciplinary team. They will discuss their role, and how they collaborate to provide people living with serious illness and their loved ones a better quality of life, by caring for the whole person-- body, mind, spirit.
Co-hosted by: UCSF Meri Center for Education in Palliative Care at Mt. Zion
November 5th, 2020
What Matters Most: Palliative Care Myths, Misconceptions, and Setting the Record Straight
Hosted by: SF Community Living Campaign
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, palliative care physician, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford
Join this event to learn all about palliative care, a medical specialty that focuses on caring for people and families living with a serious illness. Palliative care focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of an illness and aims to improve quality of life. It can be appropriate for people at any age and at any stage of illness, and it can be delivered alongside curative treatment. Come learn about what palliative care can offer and why it might be a great addition to your health care team.
October 22nd, 2020
An Introduction to Palliative Care for the South Asian Community
Presenter: Dr. Kavitha Ramchandran, Palliative Care Physician, Thoracic Oncologist, Clinical Associate Prof. of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine
In this presentation, Dr. Kavitha Ramchandran will describe the specialty of palliative care, which is often misunderstood. She will explain how the palliative care team focuses on providing people and families living with serious illness with a better quality of life.
Oct. 8th & Oct. 23rd, 2020
2 Part Virtual Advance Care Planning Workshops - Free and open to all
Advance care planning is a process to plan the health care you would want to receive if you became too ill to make decisions for yourself. Every adult can do advance care planning.
In these 2 part workshops, Stanford’s palliative care Dr. Grant Smith will describe advance care planning. He will walk participants through each step, including how to complete an Advance Health Care Directive.
October 6th, 2020
30th Annual Jonathan J. King Lecture, When Breath Becomes Air: A Conversation with Lucy Kalanithi
Free and open to all.
The Jonathan J. King Lectureship was established in 1991 to encourage the compassionate and humane care of all patients. It is a part of Stanford University Medical Center's mission to enhance patient treatment and the art of caring.
Dr. Lucy Kalanithi is Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and an advocate for culture change around healthcare value with particular focus on end-of-life care, caregiving and clinician wellness. She serves on leadership boards for the American College of Physicians, the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care and TEDMED. She is the widow of Dr. Paul Kalanithi, author of the #1 New York Times-bestselling memoir When Breath Becomes Air, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and translated into more than 40 languages, and for which she wrote the epilogue.
Co-Hosting Organizations:
New Hope Chinese Cancer Care Foundation
Bay Area Cancer Connections
Latinas Contra Cancer
Cancer CAREpoint
September 22, 2020
Managing Pain When Living With Cancer
For the general public living with cancer, and their caregivers. Live interpretation available in Mandarin and Spanish.
Pain can worsen the quality of life for many people living with cancer. Fortunately, there are many treatments that can help manage and reduce pain.
In this event, Stanford palliative care doctor Grant Smith, MD will highlight ways to treat pain by considering the physical, psychological, and spiritual contributors to pain.
We will discuss how to lessen pain using medicine, as well as other treatments. We will also discuss which medical teams can help treat your pain, and when to ask your doctor for a referral to these teams.
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Martes 22 de septiembre
Control del dolor cuando se vive con cáncer
*Interpretación en vivo disponible en español y mandarín.*
El dolor puede deteriorar la calidad de vida de muchas personas que viven con cáncer. Afortunadamente, existe una gran cantidad de tratamientos que pueden ayudar a controlar y disminuir el dolor.
En este evento, Grant Smith, MD, doctor especialista en cuidados paliativos de Stanford destacará maneras de tratar el dolor con base en los factores físicos, psicológicos y espirituales que lo ocasionan.
Hablaremos sobre el uso de medicamentos y otros tratamientos para reducir el dolor, así como sobre los diferentes especialistas médicos que pueden tratar su dolor, y le sugeriremos cuándo solicitar a su doctor que lo remita con estos especialistas.
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9 月 22 日週二：太平洋時間中午 12 點至 1 點
與癌症共存之疼痛管理
(Managing Pain When Living With Cancer)
* 提供國語和西班牙語現場口譯！*
疼痛可導致癌症患者的生活品質雪上加霜，幸而現有多種治療方法能管理並減輕疼痛。
本次講座由斯坦福緩和治療科專家 Grant Smith 醫學博士為大家講解如何結合身體、心理與心靈這三大要素來治療疼痛。
我們將討論如何用藥物以及其他療法減輕疼痛，也會討論有哪些專科醫療團隊可以治療您的疼痛，以及應該在什麼時候要求醫生為您轉診到專科。
July 30, 2020
"Palliative Care Was a Game Changer:" An Introduction to Palliative Care
How Palliative Care Helps People Living With Serious Illness
A webinar for the general public, caregivers, and healthcare providers new to learning about palliative care
What exactly is palliative care? Am I being referred to palliative care because I’m dying? What could palliative care provide that my other doctors may not? If you’ve ever asked any of these questions, or haven’t even wanted to think about palliative care because it’s often confused with other types of care, this webinar is for you.
Join us to hear from some of Stanford’s interdisciplinary palliative care team members, who will share about the care they provide to people and their families living with serious illness. You’ll also hear from a person living with serious illness who received the support of a palliative care team while pursuing active treatment.
Panelists: Gary Bertuccelli, LCSW, Natalie Normandin, CNS, Shireen Heidari, MD, Kafunyi Mwamba, DVM, DMin, BCC
June 25th, 2020
Caregiving During COVID 19
At this webinar, we will be talking about ways to:
- Encourage and foster connection
- Recognize and focus on what we can control
- Learn and practice ways to cope
- And who to contact with questions
The Stanford Caregiver Center is here for you. You are not alone. Visit us at: https://healthlibrary.stanford.edu/caregiver-center.html
Presenters: Amy Yotopoulos, Caregiver Center Program Manager and Charisse Lee, Senior Consultant, Caregiver Center
May 17th, 2020
What if I Get Seriously Ill? Guidance on Making Your Health Care Decisions During COVID 19
For faith-based communities
Advance Health Care Planning During COVID 19
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have found themselves wondering about the type of health care they would want if they were to become seriously ill.
Considering these questions can be difficult. However, taking time to consider the type of care you would want if you were to become seriously ill or unable to make medical decisions can help you and your loved ones be more prepared.
Join us as palliative care physician, Dr. Grant Smith, discusses: advance care planning, choosing someone to make health care decisions for you if you were unable to do so, completing an advance directive, and special considerations for COVID-19.
Additional Resources:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: COVID19 Resource Guide
- American Psychiatric Association: Hotlines for distress, suicide & mental health needs
- Headspace app: Mindfulness exercises for stress & sleep
- COVID Coach: Education & self-care hosted by Dept. of Veterans Affairs
- Deep breathing technique : Healthline “box breathing”
- Kara: Grief support in Palo Alto, California
- Shelter-in-PEACE: Half hour guided meditation on Mondays through May, Stanford
- Podcast by Dr. Danielle Chammas about "Emotional PPE." Link includes a number of hotlines for clinicians.
May 1st, 2020
Flattening the Curve of Distress: How to be a Catalyst of Calm in COVID-19
Presenter: Dr. Keri Brenner, MPA, Psychiatrist, Palliative Care Physician, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
Addressing the Anxiety Pandemic During COVID-19
While we are all aware of the current medical pandemic, we also are in the middle of a less visible pandemic of uncertainty, anxiety and distress. Join us as Keri O. Brenner, MD, MPA, a palliative care physician and psychiatrist at Stanford, provides practical ideas and tips for coping with worry, separation, helplessness and loss during this pandemic. This webinar focuses on how to be a catalyst of calm during coronavirus.
Dr. Brenner’s expertise on the psychological aspects of coping with serious illness will illuminate ways we can stay connected with our authentic selves and most important relationships during this stressful time of uncertainty. There also will be time for Q&A with a panel of physicians, including Danielle Chammas, MD (UCSF Palliative Care & Psychiatrist) and Mariana Schmajuk, MD (Stanford Psychiatry).
April 10th, 2020
What if I get seriously ill? Guidance on making your health care decisions during COVID-19
¿Qué pasa si enfermo de gravedad? Una guía para tomar decisiones médicas en tiempos de COVID-19
A webinar for the general public, caregivers, and healthcare providers less familar with advance care planning
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have found themselves wondering about the type of health care they would want if they were to become seriously ill.
Considering these questions can be difficult. However, taking time to consider the type of care you would want if you were to become seriously ill or unable to make medical decisions can help you and your loved ones be more prepared.
Palliative care physician, Dr. Grant Smith discusses: advance care planning, choosing someone to make health care decisions for you if you were unable to do so, completing an advance directive, and special considerations for COVID-19.
"Webinar" y las diapositivas disponibles en Español.
February 21st, 2020
Advance Care Planning Introduction for Aging Mastery Series Participants
Open to Aging Mastery Series class participants. Presented in English and Vietnamese.
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
Dr. Dave Tran, Palliative Care, Palo Alto Medical Foundation
San Jose Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services provides the Aging Mastery Series in numerous languages. In this workshop format, we'll be engaging in hearing what truly matters to you. Whether you are a person living with a serious illness, a caregiver of a loved one, or the healthiest you have ever been, having some form of a care plan in the event you are unable to speak for yourself, is important for providing you and your family with the comfort and confidence knowing that your wishes will be honored no matter what happens. Come learn about the questions you should be asking yourself, your doctors, and your loved ones. You may even leave with an advance care plan completed!
Location: Vietnamese American Community Center
February 13th, 2020
Palliative Care for People Living With Advanced Heart and Lung Disease
A Stanford Health Library talk for people living with advanced heart and/or lung disease, and their caregivers
Presenter: Dr. Winnie Teuteberg, Clinicial Associate Professor of Medicine, Primary Care and Population Health, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people facing a serious illness like congestive heart failure. The goal is to improve quality of life for both you and your family. This talk will explain the role the palliative care team can have in improving symptoms, side effects and stresses that patients and their families experience while living with these conditions.
February 4th, 2020
What Matters Most, Part I: Advance Care Planning and What You Need to Know Now
A talk for people living with cancer
Presenters:
Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Stanford Univ. School of Medicine
Dr. Ramy Salah, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, Palo Alto Medical Foundation
In this workshop format, we'll be engaging in hearing what truly matters to you. Whether you are a person living with a serious illness, a caregiver of a loved one, or the healthiest you have ever been, having some form of a care plan in the event you are unable to speak for yourself, is important for providing you and your family with the comfort and confidence knowing that your wishes will be honored no matter what happens. Come learn about the questions you should be asking yourself, your doctors, and your loved ones. You may even leave with an advance care plan completed!
January 30th, 2019
Don't Limit Me: Discussing Serious News with Intellectually Disabled Adults
A talk for people caring for intellectually disabled adults
Presenters:
Colleen Vega, Certified Clinical Nurse Specialist, MS, ACHPN
Dr. Felicia Hui, Palliative Care Physician
Ellen Cookman, Certified Specialist, Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Lawy, JD, LLM
This discussion will go over ways that family members of people living with intellectual disabilities and with a serious illness can work with the healthcare team to advocate for the best care. Stanford palliative care team members will disucuss what medical professionals can do to improve the quality of life of patients facing life-threatening illness and the symptoms, pain and stress brought on by such a serious illness.
December 2nd, 2019
Reclaiming the Legacy of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Presenters: Distinguished speakers in the field of palliative care and psychiatry
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, MD (July 8, 1926-August 24, 2004) was a Swiss-born psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies and the author of the groundbreaking book On Death and Dying (1969), where she first discussed her theory of the five stages of grief, also known as the Kübler-Ross model. Her work with dying patients helped revolutionize care of the terminally ill. She was the recipient of twenty honorary degrees and by July 1982 had taught, in her estimation, 125,000 students in death and dying courses in colleges, seminaries, medical schools, hospitals, and social-work institutions. She has also written over 20 books on death and related subjects.
During this conference, distinguished speakers from the fields of palliative care and psychiatry present discuss the legacy of Dr. Kubler-Ross's body of research and work. Speakers will also present updates and new perspectives in the field.
Tuesday, November 26th, 2019
National Hospice & Palliative Care Awareness (NHPM) Month: Tabling in Stanford Cancer Center Palo Alto
Tabling for Stanford care recipients, visitors, staff, clinicians, and faculty
Tablers: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care Physician, Stanford School of Medicine and Ashley Bragg, Director of Stanford Palliative Care Center of Excellence
Stop by, say hi, and come learn more about the Stanford Palliative Care Service. Our team has a robust inpatient consult service as well as outpatient services in Palo Alto and San Jose. We'll have some snacks and other fun giveaways for those who come by. Patients, families, and staff are all welcome!
November 14th, 2019
National Hospice & Palliative Care Awareness Month: Advance Care Planning Workshop
A Stanford Health Library talk free and open to people living with cancer, their family, loved ones, and/or caregivers.
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care Physician, Stanford School of Medicine
In this workshop format, we'll be engaging in hearing what truly matters to you. Whether you are a person living with a serious illness, a caregiver of a loved one, or the healthiest you have ever been, having some form of a care plan in the event you are unable to speak for yourself, is important for providing you and your family with the comfort and confidence knowing that your wishes will be honored no matter what happens. Come learn about the questions you should be asking yourself, your doctors, and your loved ones. You may even leave with an advance care plan completed!
November 7th, 2019
National Hospice & Palliative Care (NHPC) Awareness Month: Tabling in 300p
Tabling for Stanford care recipients, visitors, staff, clinicians, faculty, and volunteers
Tablers: Dr. Grant Smith, Stanford Palliative Care Physician, and Ashley Bragg, Director, Stanford Palliative Care Center of Excellence
Stop by, say hello, and come learn more about the Stanford Palliative Care Service. Our team has a robust inpatient consult service as well as outpatient services in Palo Alto and San Jose. We'll have some snacks and other fun giveaways for those who come by. Patients, families, and staff are all welcome!
October 24th, 2019
Living with Cancer: A Palliative Care Provider's Perspective
An event for employees of Shasqi Laboratories
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care Physician, Stanford School of Medicine
Shasqi labs is a San Francisco-based biotech start-up company that is focused on creating a novel drug delivery system. This talk provides a background for these researchers on the considerations people living with a serious illness often discuss with palliative care providers. We will also discuss the way new cancer treatments have changed the way physicians and palliative care providers think about caring for patients.
Location: Shaqi Laboratories, San Francisco, CA
October 20th, 2019
Palliative Care, Hospice, and the End of Life Options Act
Presenter: Dr. Grant Smith, Palliative Care Physician, Stanford School of Medicine
This talk will explain palliative medicine and how it helps patients with life threatening illnesses. It will also address what the differences are between palliative care and hospice care and when each is appropriate, as well as explaining the End of Life Option Act.