Registration Open: Spring 2024 Palliative Care Virtual Series
Patient Self-Determination: Same Dog, New Twists
Session 1: Wednesday, May 22nd – 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Presented by: Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C – Executive Director & Clinical Ethicist, Vermont Ethics Network; Clinical Ethicist, UVM Medical Center.
Join Cindy for a review of new developments in the advance directive statute and a conversation about reframing our approach to advance care planning to improve the quality of the documents we create with patients.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this activity, learners should be able to:
- Articulate recent modifications to the Vermont Advance Directive Statue per passage of Act 88
- Appreciate the ethical and legal frameworks within which patient self-determination occurs
- Apply shared decision-making principles to advance care planning conversations and documents
Registration for this session is closed. Recordings will be posted as soon as they are available.
Medical Aid in Dying: A Truth-telling Imperative
Session 2: Wednesday, May 29th – 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Presented by: Diana Barnard, MD – Palliative Medicine, Porter Medical Center.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the eligibility for participation in Medical Aid in Dying
- Describe the importance of honest and uncertain prognostic information for patients living with terminal illness
Registration for this session is now closed. If you would still like to join the session, please email
Inside the Mind of a Hospice Medical Director: 10 Things Hospice Providers Wished You Knew
Session 3: Wednesday, June 5th – 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Presented by: Cristine Maloney, MD, HMDC – Medical Director of Palliative Care and Hospice at Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire (VNH).
Hospice Medical Directors have a unique role in a hospice program balancing clinical and administrative asks including: pharmacy utilization, hospice finances, reviewing admissions, direct patient care and education of stakeholders. This session will review common hospice practices that may not be known to providers outside of hospice and will help referring providers work better with hospice teams.
Learning Objectives:
- Name at least 2 medications that are preferred for hospice patients.
- Name at least 2 procedures that are ideally performed prior to hospice admission.
Registration for this session is now closed. If you would still like to join the session, please email
Guardianship: Not the Holy Grail for Medical Decision-Making
Session 4: Monday, June 10th – 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Presented by: Honorable Jeffery Kilgore, Superior Court Probate Division, Washington County & Honorable Kathryn Kennedy, Superior Court Probate Division, Orange County.
Identify who files, what to file, where in the State, when is it an emergency, why file, and then what happens when an individual may not be able to manage their medical care independently requiring Guardianship intervention through the Probate Division of the Vermont Superior Court.
Learning Objectives:
- Determine whether it is appropriate to file for guardianship,
- Determine if it is an emergency filing and the requirements therein, and
- What happens after the petition is filed pursuant to the Laws and Rules in the State of Vermont.
Registration for this session is closed. If you would still like to join the session, please email
