In conjunction with this year's Annual Meeting, INPCS will be offering a variety of half-day pre-conference workshops and working groups on Tuesday, September 29th. These workshops are optional and any applicable registration fees are in addition to Annual Meeting registration fees. Workshops can be attended as stand-alone events, or in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. More information about each workshop is below.
MORNING WORKSHOPS & WORKING GROUPS
"Addressing Spirituality During a Clinical Encounter: Practical Tools for Non-Chaplains"
Leader(s): Kelly Spahr, MDiv, BCC; Alex Lion, DO, MPH; Shelley Varner-Perez, MDiv, MPH
Time: 8:00am-12:00pm
Description: Have you ever wished you knew best practices to address spiritual and existential concerns in your clinical practice? During this workshop, physicians and chaplains will share tools to equip non-chaplains to engage patients’ (care recipients) and family caregivers’ (care partners’) spiritual and existential concerns. The session will use case-based approaches featuring physician-chaplain dyads to screen for spiritual strengths and existential concerns that honor patient values, beliefs, and preferences.
Registration Fees: $49 INPCS member / $99 non-member
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
"Building Community Partnerships to Improve Neuropalliative Care Across the Lifespan"
Leader(s): Sandhya Seshadri, PhD, MA, MS; Suzannah Iadarola, PhD, BCBA-D
Time: 8:00am-12:00pm
Description: Effective care for adults and children with diverse neurological conditions requires coordination and alignment across research, medical, community, and family systems. All (patients, clinicians, family members, researchers, advocates) are welcome to attend this workshop. We will use practical strategies and hands-on activities for developing and sustaining partnerships across neurological illnesses and cover topics such as :
- Developing research and clinical priorities based upon community priorities.
- Methods for identifying, acknowledging, and addressing power dynamics, and build trust within partnerships.
- Methods and strategies for community members to be effective partners with researchers and clinicians.Strategies to increase access and inclusion to research for community members, including universal supports and accommodations.
Registration Fees: $49 INPCS member / $99 non-member
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
"Co-Designing a Neuropalliative Severity Screening Tool via the ACTIVE Guidelines Working Group: Advancing Care Planning, Caregiver Support, Treatment of Symptoms, Individualized Goals of Care, the Voice and Values of the Person, and End-of-Life Coordination in Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias"
Leader(s): Jocelyn Jiao, MD, MS; Jennifer Corcoran, MD
Time: 8:00am-12:00pm
Description: During the 2025 INPCS Annual Meeting held in Phoenix, the ACTIVE Guidelines Working Group hosted a transdisciplinary roundtable and stakeholder discussion surrounding screening and severity rating frameworks for patients and families living with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. For this pre-conference workshop, the ACTIVE Guidelines Working Group will present a Neuropalliative Severity Screening Tool and associated manuscript for stakeholder discussion, revision, and collaboration. Clinicians, caregivers, healthcare systems, and care teams will leave better equipped to address the needs of individuals living with dementia across all stages of the illness and their families.
Registration Fees: $49 INPCS member / $99 non-member
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Working Group: Advanced Practice Provider and Nursing Collective
Leader(s): Emily Downing-Mahli, NP, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN-BC
Time: 8:00am-10:00pm
Description: The INPCS Neuropalliative Care APP and Nursing Collective’s mission is to cultivate a strong network among Advanced Practice Providers (NPs and PAs) and Nursing Professionals specializing in neurology and/or palliative care. This initiative provides opportunities for networking, mentorship, collaboration, research, and education to advance professional growth and promote excellence in whole person care for those living with serious neurological illness and their loved ones. This session will be divided into two sections: research and clinical education.
Registration Fees: Free
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Working Group: Palliative Care for ALS
Leader(s): Ambereen Mehta, MD, MPH; Kara Bischoff, MD
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Description: Join the INPCS Palliative Care for ALS Working Group for a practical pre-conference workshop highlighting the latest research, quality improvement, and educational initiatives in primary and specialty palliative care for ALS. Engage with clinicians, researchers, and allied professionals, and contribute to strategic planning that will drive progress in this field. This session is designed to foster meaningful connections and productive collaboration, equipping you with actionable tools, partnerships, and next steps to elevate your work over the coming year and beyond.
Registration Fees: Free
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS & WORKING GROUPS
"NeuroTalk: Mastering Tough Conversations"
Leader(s): INPCS Education Committee
Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Description: In this interactive course, participants will learn and practice core skills for goals of care conversations. Leave with communication tools you can use right away to connect with patients and families more effectively. Featuring neurology-specific cases, this course is geared towards clinicians who want to hone their communication skills in an engaging environment.
Registration Fees: $99 INPCS Trainee member / $199 INPCS member / $299 non-member
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here. Registration for this workshop is limited to the first 24 people to register.
"INPCS Matters: Understanding and Mitigating Financial- and Systems-Based Challenges to Neuropalliative Care"
Leader(s): INPCS Community
Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Description: Financial barriers and systems-based challenges create significant financial toxicity, disrupting quality-of-life interventions for patients with neurological illness and complicating transitions to hospice care. Our workshop will analyze current structural impediments, resulting care disruptions, and existing mitigation strategies. We will conclude with a collaborative discussion to scan the horizon for future challenges and generate ideas for advocacy.
Registration Fees: $49 INPCS member / $99 non-member
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Trainee Working Group: Co-Creating Our Curriculum - The Neuropalliative Case Conference Launch
Leader(s): Noona Leavell, MD; Jocelyn Jiao, MD, MS
Time: 1:00pm-5:00pm
Description: This working group will set the scene for the launch of a virtual, national, co-designed neuropalliative care case conference this academic year (fall of 2026 through summer 2027). The case conference will incorporate interactive case-based/case-conference method of learning and skill development for trainees desiring additional palliative care skill development and/or neuropalliative educational exposure in the realms of structured communication training, neuro-prognostication, and neuropalliative symptom management knowledge base. In addition to educational goals, the case conference also aims to foster a sense of community, offering trainees a platform to discuss difficult cases, find more meaning in their work, and connect with faculty across institutions to allow broader access to specialized neuropalliative knowledge, expertise, and mentorship.
Registration Fees: Free
Target Audience: Primarily neurology trainees, though trainees from other disciplines (i.e. medical, social work, chaplaincy, nursing) are also welcome to join.
How to Register: The registration form for this workshop is included in the registration form for the INPCS Annual Meeting, which can be accessed by clicking here.
Working Group: Non-Profit Organizations and Neuropalliative Care
Leader(s): Benzi Kluger, MD, MS
Time: 1:30pm-5:00pm
Description: One of the top strategic goals of the International Neuropalliative Care Society (INPCS) is to partner with other non-profits, particularly those tied to specific neurologic illnesses, to improve neuropalliative care information and resources available to patients, families, and the public. We encourage persons associated with neurology or palliative care non-profits to join the conversation and help us to accelerate progress in this important area.
Registration Fees: Free
How to Register: If you represent a non-profit organization and would like to attend this working group, please email info@inpcs.org for more information.
