NHPCO Conference Plenary Features Two Leaders from San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine

San Diego, California – San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine is pleased to announce two of its leaders, Scott A. Irwin, MD, PhD, and Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, FACP, FAAHPM, will present on delirium during the Friday opening plenary of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s 12th Clinical Team Conference and Pediatric Intensive.

The conference will be held October 6 – 8, 2011 at the Town & Country Resort and, Conference Center in San Diego, California.  Dr. Irwin and Dr. von Gunten will feature their presentation on “Delirium Assessment and Management” on Friday, October 7 from 9:00-10:00am.

“The usual paradigms for delirium diagnosis and management do not hold for patients with advanced illnesses,” said Dr. Irwin. “As such, our presentation will focus on how to approach delirium by taking the overall picture of a patient’s life-limiting illness, and reasonable medical goals, into consideration.”
 
Dr. Charles F. von Gunten is the Provost at The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice. Dr. von Gunten is an established investigator of the National Cancer Institute, is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Palliative Medicine, and was recently recognized by US News and World Report as one of the top 1% physicians in the nation in the specialty of medical oncology.

Dr. Scott A. Irwin is the director and founder of the award winning Psychiatry Programs at The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice. He has received funding for his work from the NIH and the National Palliative Care Research Center.  Dr. Irwin investigates better assessments and treatments for depression, delirium and other mental health issues.
 
Presented in collaboration with the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Clinical Team Conference and Pediatric Intensive is an annual conference that attracts more than 1,200 hospice and palliative professionals and industry experts. The conference features more than 100 concurrent sessions, three plenary presentations, volunteer awards and an exhibit hall. The conference brochure is available online at:
www.nhpco.org/files/public/meetings/CTC11/CTC11_Brochure.pdf
 
About San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine
San Diego Hospice and The Institute for Palliative Medicine is one of the largest community-owned, not-for-profit hospices in the country, bringing compassionate, expert medical care to more than 1,200 seriously ill adults and children each day throughout San Diego County.  For more information, visit www.sdhospice.org, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and The Caregiver’s Corner blog or call toll-free 866-688-1600.

Contact Information

Melissa DelaCalzada

Director, Communications and Community Relations

SDHIPM

(1) (619) 278-6139

mdelacalzada@sdhospice.org