TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2026
Note: the schedule grid is best viewed in landscape orientation on mobile devices and may require zooming to get entire grid visible.
Sessions in red text are eligible for continuing education credits.
For a printable agenda, please click here.
| TIME | EVENT & DESCRIPTION | SPEAKER(S) / LEADER(S) | ROOM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00am-12:00pm | Addressing Spirituality During a Clinical Encounter: Practical Tools for Non-Chaplains | Kelly Spahr, MDiv Alex Lion, DO, MPH Shelley Varner-Perez, MDiv, MPH |
Kelley Executive Classroom #132 |
| Building Community Partnerships to Improve Neuropalliative Care Across the Lifespan | Sandhya Seshadri, PhD, MA, MS Suzannah Iadarola, PhD, BCBA-D |
Kelley Executive Classroom #137 | |
| 8:00-10:00am | Working Group: Advanced Practice Provider and Nursing Collective | Emily Downing-Mahli, NP, MSN | Kelley Executive Classroom #139 |
| 10:00am-12:00pm | Working Group: Palliative Care for ALS | Ambereen Mehta, MD, MPH Kara Bischoff, MD |
Kelley Executive Classroom #139 |
| 12:00-1:00pm | Lunch | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 1:00-5:00pm | NeuroTalk: Mastering Tough Conversations (powered by VitalTalk) | INPCS Education Committee | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| INPCS Matters: Understanding and Mitigating Financial- and Systems-Based Challenges to Neuropalliative Care | Farrah Daly, MD, MBA Christina Vaughan, MD, MHS Astrid Grouls, MD |
Kelley Executive Classroom #137 | |
| Trainee Working Group: Co-Creating Our Curriculum - The Neuropalliative Case Conference Launch | Noona Leavell, MD Jocelyn Jiao, MD, MS |
Kelley Executive Classroom #132 | |
| Working Group: Non-Profit Neuropalliative Collaborative | Benzi Kluger, MD, MS | Kelley Executive Classroom #139 | |
| 5:00-7:00pm | INPCS26 Welcome Reception | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby & Slate Hallway |
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2026
Note: the schedule grid is best viewed in landscape orientation on mobile devices and may require zooming to get entire grid visible.
Sessions in red text are eligible for continuing education credits.
For a printable agenda, please click here.
| TIME | EVENT & DESCRIPTION | SPEAKER(S) | ROOM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:15-9:15am | Breakfast On Own | ||
| 9:15-9:45am | Welcome/Opening & President's Address | Farrah Daly, MD, MBA | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 9:45-10:45am | KEYNOTE ADDRESS "Dignity for Deeply Forgetful People: Episodes of Unexpected Lucidity and Their Meaning for Caregivers" The word dementia has recently been removed from the DSM in favor of Major (or Minor) Neurocognitive Disorder. This is intended to help affected individuals, caregivers, and society to overcome the de-dignifying and derogatory metaphors that often cluster around the people with dementia (such as gone, shell, husk, etc.). We need to encourage a new mindset of noticing the continuing self-identity and capacities in these fellow humans. When we elevate the moral status of deeply forgetful people and learn to better communicate with them, compassionate care and resource availability can follow, including of course access to neuro-palliative care. Currently, in our hypercognitive culture, they are afforded little more than scraps and leftovers. |
Stephen Post, PhD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 10:45-11:00am | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | Lifetime Achievement Award Presentation to David Oliver "Palliative Care and Neurology - The Past, The Present and The Future" Palliative care has been provided for people with neurological disease from the early days of St Christopher's Hospice in London, UK. Over the years the role has developed with increasing awareness of the palliative care needs of people with neurological disease and the development of services supporting them. However, this is very variable across the World and the challenge for the future is the establishment of care for all people with neurological disease across the globe, with clear international guidelines and policies. |
David Oliver, PhD, FRCP, FEAN | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 12:00-1:00pm | Lunch | University Tower Ballroom | |
| 1:00-2:00pm | Poster & Exhibit Hall Time | Slate Hallway | |
| 2:00-3:00pm | "There But Not There: Ambiguous Loss and Neurology"
Loss can be personal, communal and global all at the same time. And what is a loss for one person might not be a loss for another. In neuropalliative care, we are faced every day with an unclear, uncertain progression of loss in our patients and their families. This kind of unresolving loss, "there but not there" was defined by Dr. Pauline Boss as Ambiguous Loss, and it has an effect on us as providers and clinicians. This interactive session will look at coping strategies for this very real and lasting loss, and consider the long range impact of ignoring the wear and tear of ambiguous loss on mind, body, and spirit. Bring patient stories! |
Linda Golding, MA, BCC | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 3:00-3:15pm | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 3:15-3:45pm | INPCS State of the Science 2026 | Kellen Quigg Jori Bogetz |
Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 3:45-4:15pm | Outstanding Scientific Contribution Award Presentation to Monica Lemmon “Communicating About Neurologic Outcome: Lessons in Humility” In this session, Dr. Lemmon will discuss common challenges and opportunities that arise when discussing future neurologic outcome. She will highlight lessons learned from parents of critically ill children, with a focus on strategies and tools to improve how we study, estimate, and discuss neurologic prognosis. |
Monica Lemmon, MD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 4:15-4:30pm | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 4:30-5:30pm | “Goal-Directed Medical Decision-Making: What Belongs to the Patient and What Belongs to Medicine” Efforts to improve serious-illness decision-making have focused on helping patients and surrogates choose among the options presented to them. Large trials have improved the conversation without relieving the burden. This presentation argues that the problem begins earlier, with the act by which medical possibilities become patient choices at all. Goal-Directed Medical Decision-Making distinguishes what belongs to the patient from what belongs to medicine and asks why the remedy for paternalism became abdication rather than accountability. Through this framework, participants will learn to distinguish patient-defined goals from clinical judgments about the means of achieving them, differentiate disclosure from offering and recommendation, and identify when decisions properly belong to the patient, the clinician, or both. |
Amber Comer, PhD, JD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 5:30-6:00pm | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 6:00-7:30pm | SPECIAL THEATRICAL PRESENTATION "Dementia Man, An Existential Journey" As part of the INPCS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, attendees are invited to a special performance of Dementia Man, An Existential Journey, an award-winning one-man theatrical production written and performed by Samuel A. Simon. The play is based on Simon's personal experience living with Alzheimer's disease and explores the profound questions of identity, meaning, purpose, and connection that arise following a diagnosis of cognitive decline. Blending storytelling, humor, advocacy, and reflection, Dementia Man offers a powerful and deeply human perspective on life with a neurocognitive disorder. Rather than focusing solely on loss, the performance challenges audiences to envision a future in which individuals living with dementia continue to experience dignity, purpose, and meaningful engagement. This unique event speaks directly to the heart of neuropalliative care, inviting clinicians, researchers, patients, care partners, and advocates to consider what it means to live well in the face of serious illness. The performance has received national recognition, including the 2023 Dementia Arts Impact Award. Join us for an unforgettable evening that combines art, lived experience, and a vision of compassionate care. Presented by Experience Senior Living |
Sam Simon | Hine Hall Auditorium |
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2026
Note: the schedule grid is best viewed in landscape orientation on mobile devices and may require zooming to get entire grid visible.
Sessions in red text are eligible for continuing education credits.
For a printable agenda, please click here.
| TIME | EVENT & DESCRIPTION | SPEAKER(S) | ROOM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:30-8:30am | Breakfast on own | ||
| 8:30-9:30am | "Palliative Care for People with Dementia and Their Families: The IN-PEACE Trial" This session will discuss state of the art approaches to providing palliative care to people living with dementia and their families. It will highlight the approach taken in the IN-PEACE trial that resulted in reducing emergency department visits and hospitalizations by 50%. Challenges to implementing the IN-PEACE model and outstanding questions will be covered as well. |
Greg Sachs, MD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 9:30-9:45am | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 9:45-10:15am | Live Poster Showcase | Elizabeth Byrd, PhD, RN Hillary Lum, MD, PhD Astrid Grouls, MD |
Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 10:15-10:45am | Tara Cook Award for Innovation in Neuropalliative Education Presentation to Tarini Goyal "Teaching How to Talk: Modernizing Neuropalliative Care Education" A discussion of the evolution of neuropalliative care education and exploration of next steps for educating the next generation of neurologists and palliative care providers effectively and sustainably. |
Tarini Goyal, MD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 10:45-11:00am | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 11:00am-12:00pm | "Embedding Management of Progressive Communication Disorders Into Neuropalliative Care" Changes to speech and language occur in many neurodegenerative diseases, simultaneously causing an increase in psychosocial distress and limiting access to psychotherapy and other resources. In this talk, I will discuss strategies for interprofessional collaboration between speech-language pathologists and palliative care teams to identify and meet the psychosocial needs of individuals with progressive speech and language disorders more effectively. I will also share preliminary data and insights from a study on the acceptability and feasibility of meaning-centered psychotherapy as an intervention approach for this population. |
Gabriela Meade, PhD, CCC-SLP |
Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 12:00-1:00pm | Lunch INPCS Business Meeting & Town Hall ALL ATTENDEES ARE WELCOME! |
University Tower Ballroom | |
| 1:00-2:00pm | Poster & Exhibit Hall Time | Slate Hallway | |
| 2:00-3:00pm | "The Next Ascent Beyond Achievement: Where Medicine, Meaning and the Second Mountain Meet" This session brings together a physician and chaplain to explore how moments of professional challenge and personal struggle can reshape the practice of neurological care. Drawing on their distinct yet complementary perspectives, they illustrate a shared journey towards more intentional, whole-person patient care that integrates physical, emotional, and spiritual needs for individuals with visual impairment. Attendees will gain insight into how meaning, resilience and interdisciplinary collaboration can deepen patient relationships and clinician purpose. The discussion highlights practical ways to move beyond achievement-driven care towards a more sustainable model of healing. |
Melissa Ko, MD, MBA Shelley Varner-Perez, MDiv, MPH, BCC |
Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 3:00-3:15pm | Break | Hine Hall Auditorium Lobby | |
| 3:15-4:15pm | KEYNOTE ADDRESS "Doctor as Patient" What happens when the physician becomes the patient? Dr. Bobby Mukkamala, immediate past president of the American Medical Association, draws on his own experience with brain surgery and recovery to offer a deeply personal perspective on the importance of timely access, affordable care, and a health system grounded in quality and trust. He will examine the role of physician leadership in removing barriers to care—prior authorization, affordability, and workforce shortages—and the AMA’s advocacy to advance meaningful change in these areas. |
Bobby Mukkamala, MD | Hine Hall Auditorium |
| 4:15-4:30pm | Closing Remarks: Conference Retrospective INPCS27 Location Reveal |
INPCS Leadership | Hine Hall Auditorium |
