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Contact Us17th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference
Thanks again to our amazing speakers who made the day so meaningful and useful for many colleagues. We had over 150 people in attendance.
16th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference Highlights
We look forward to seeing you at our conference in 2026!
Resilience & Wisdom Shared: Interprofessional Approaches to Palliative Care
April 3, 2026 | 8:30AM to 3:30PM (MST) | MSU Denver SpringHill Suites & Zoom
Fully Hybrid: In-Person & Virtual | 6 CEUs for the full day
Doors open for breakfast and networking at 7:45AM
Programming begins promptly at 8:30AM
Call for Proposals
The 2026 Call for Proposals is now closed. Thank you for your submissions!
Registration
| Conference Registration Costs Early Bird Rates Available Through March 16, 2026, 11:59PM MST |
||
| Early Bird | Regular Rate | |
| Student Registration (in person or virtual) |
$20 | $40 |
| In-Person Attendance | $135 | $150 |
| Virtual Attendance | $65 | $80 |
| HRSA and CoAccess Scholars in the Social Work Department at MSU Denver attend for free and should register through the link provided in their email. | ||
| Are you a student interested in volunteering at the conference? Student volunteers attend for free! | ||
17th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference - Schedule At A Glance
April 3, 2026 | 8:30AM – 3:30PM (MST) | Hybrid Conference
| 7:45 – 8:30 AM | DOORS OPEN – NETWORKING AND BREAKFAST Doors open at 7:45am, breakfast served at 8:00am |
| 8:30 – 8:45 AM | Welcome Remarks and Thanks to Our Sponsors Jess Retrum, PhD, Chair & Professor, Department of Social Work, MSU Denver |
| 8:45 – 9:45 AM | KEYNOTE PRESENTATION Personhood and Perspective: Addressing Narrative Elements of Neuropalliative Medicine Lauren Treat, MD & Rachel Rusch, LCSW |
| 9:45 – 10:00 AM | TRANSITION TO CONCURRENT SESSION 1 Volunteers available to help you find your way! |
| 10:00 – 11:00 AM | CONCURRENT SESSION 1 – Choose 1 of the Following Options:
1. Burnout, Moral Distress, and the Cost of Caring 2. “We Care” Wellness Training: A Curriculum for Training Physicians 3. Provider Perspectives on Integrating Palliative Care into Parkinson’s Disease Care at the Department of Veteran Affairs 4. Death is a Part of Life |
| 11:00 – 11:15 AM | TRANSITION Networking Break and Lunch Served |
| 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM | LUNCH & LUNCH SESSIONS Served in the ballroom.11:25 – 11:55: Human Library (connect with experts in attendance, both in-person and online!) 12:05 – 12:30: Meditation & Singing Bowls Cara York CYT, RYT from Lotus Life |
| 12:30 – 12:45 PM | TRANSITION TO CONCURRENT SESSION 2 Volunteers available to help you find your way! |
| 12:45 – 1:45 PM | CONCURRENT SESSION 2 – Choose 1 of the Following Options:
1. Holding Space at the End of Life: Collective Wisdom from Hospice Social Work Practice 2. Comfort, Dignity, and Whole‑Person Care for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) at End of Life 3. Beyond Our Words: A Somatic Approach to Grief-Informed Clinical Support 4. Wellness: Increasing Job Satisfaction by Managing Compassion Fatigue, Traumatic Stress & Burnout |
| 1:45 – 2:00 PM | TRANSITION TO CONCURRENT SESSION 3 Volunteers available to help you find your way! |
| 2:00 – 3:00 PM | CONCURRENT SESSION 3 – Choose 1 of the Following Options:
1. Trauma Informed Palliative Care and Moral Distress: Supporting Caregivers and Professionals Toward Resilient and Sustainable Practice 2. Creating Pathways Home at the End of Life: The VA Nursing Home to Home Program 3. Relational Autonomy and Its Role at the End of Life |
| 3:00 – 3:30 PM | NETWORKING & CONFERENCE WRAP UP |
Sponsor the Palliative Care Social Work Conference
Sponsoring the Palliative Care Social Work Conference at MSU Denver, helps keep the conference sustainable and accessible for our students and community.
Sign up as a sponsor today!
Check out ways you can sponsor the 17th Palliative Care Social Work Conference below:
Community Partner Sponsorship: $200
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
- One complimentary full-conference registration
Business Sponsorship: For $600 (for-profit) or $450 (non-profit):
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program.
- Two complimentary full-conference registrations
- One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products
- Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
Sustaining Partner Sponsorship: $1,000
- Optional video included in gallery on the virtual access website
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, and in conference program
- Two (2) complimentary full-conference registrations and one departmental t-shirt and Yeti mug for each registrant
- Access for rep to attend the networking session at the end of the conference
- One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products
- Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
Platinum Sponsorship: $1,500
- Short video played the day of the conference program
- Optional video included in gallery on the virtual access website
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
- Two complimentary full-conference registrations
- Access for rep to attend the networking session at the end of the conference
- A post conference attendee “blast” to all registrants send by PCSWK planning committee on sponsor’s behalf
- One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products
- Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
Contact us at [email protected] with any questions!
Past Events
15th Annual Palliative Care Social Work Conference
Fostering Health Equity and Inclusion:
Empowering Social Workers for Everyday Practice
Friday, April 19, 2024 | 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM (MST)
In person and online attendance options
Tivoli Student Union
Turnhalle Room
900 Auraria Parkway
Denver, CO 80024
Hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver, Department of Social Work
REGISTER Today!
Student Rate: $35
Online Rate: $65
In-Person Rate: $135
Volunteers attend for free! For more information, please email [email protected]
CE Credits
Up to 6 hours of CE Credits approved by Metropolitan State University. Participation in the training will count towards the requirements of DORA’s 40 hours of Continuing Professional Development all LCSW and LSW.
Keynote Part I & II: Fostering Health Equity and Inclusion in Social Work Palliative Care and other Allied Health Professions
Featuring Keynote Speaker: Karen Bullock, Ph.D., LICSW, FGSA, APHSW-C
Endowed Professor of Social Work at Boston College
Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
Breakout Session Topics:
Healing Narratives: Unpacking the Intersection of Generational Trauma and Moral Injury in Palliative Care – Dimple D. Dhabalia, JD, CAPP
Palliative Care with Stigmatized Patients: An Interdisciplinary Approach – Fiona Bullock, M.S.W., APHSW-C, D.A.A.E.T.S., Tina Allen, SUDCC-SUD, James Murdock, M.Div., and Theodore Zwerdling, M.D.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Language and Conscious Communication – Hareklia (Harri) Brackett, APRN, CNS, ACHPN, Melissa C. Palmer, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, JD; Elizabeth Wambugu, AGNP-C
Behind Closed Doors: The High Risks of Intimate Partner Violence on Palliative and Hospice Care Patients – Laura Madeline Thibault, LCSW and Matteo J. Vatalaro, LCSW (they/he)
Shifting from cultural competence to cultural responsiveness: A phenomenological study of illness coping in Chinese pediatric patients living with blood cancer – Yixuan Wang and Nathan Gallo
Spiritual Dialogue Skills to Support Patients Living with Serious Illness – Kelly Arora, PhD
2024 Palliative Care Social Work Conference Sponsors:
Community Partner Sponsorships:
Business Sponsorships: 
Sponsorship Opportunities
Would your organization like to be a recognized sponsor for this event? Please contact Teiriana Ibarra, Event Planning Specialist, at [email protected] with questions.
Sponsorship Options:
- Community Partner Sponsorships: $200
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
- One complimentary full-conference registration
- Business Sponsorship: For $500 (for-profit company) or $400 (non-profit organization)
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program.
- Two complimentary full-conference registrations
- One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products; Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
- Platinum Sponsorship: $1500
- Short video played the day of the conference program
- Optional video included in gallery on the virtual access website
- Acknowledgement at the conference, on conference website, in conference program
- Two complimentary full-conference registrations
- Access for rep to attend the networking session at the end of the conference
- A post conference attendee “blast” to all registrants send by PCSWK planning committee on sponsor’s behalf
- One undraped six-foot table on which to display literature and sample products; Breakfast & lunch for the representative staffing your organization’s exhibit table
Please email [email protected] to provide the name(s), contact information and License Number (for CECs), for complimentary conference registration(s).
Event Coordination by the Student Association of Social Workers at Metropolitan State University of Denver. Proceeds will go towards student social work professional development and education.