10th Annual Clinical Team Conference to focus on clinical care

Sep 25 2009

Joan Teno to Receive NHPCO Distinguished Researcher Award

More than 1,400 hospice and palliative care professionals and researchers have gathered in Denver for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization's 10th Annual Clinical Team Conference that begins today at the Hyatt Regency Denver.

The Clinical Team Conference offers more than 120 sessions reflecting the range of disciplines that are the foundation of hospice and palliative care philosophy of care. Additional activities that are taking place this week include the annual NHPCO Scientific Symposium, the Hospice Manager Development Program, a pediatric palliative care track, a regulatory and compliance track and town hall, and a two-day intensive on caring for dialysis patients presented in collaboration with the Mid-Atlantic Renal Coalition.

A highlight of the conference will be the presentation of the NHPCO Distinguished Researcher Award to Joan M. Teno, MD, MS, on Friday morning.

The Distinguished Researcher Award recognizes an outstanding body of research that has contributed to the advancement of hospice and palliative care.

Dr. Teno is being honored for her exceptional ongoing commitment and extraordinary contribution to understanding how to measure and improve the quality of end-of-life care for vulnerable populations. Both a researcher and a clinician, Dr. Teno is well recognized for her research focusing on medical care for dying persons and frail persons residing in nursing homes.

She created the Brown University Family Evaluation of Hospice Care, a post-death survey tool that collects information from family caregivers about a loved one's hospice experience. Hundreds of hospice programs across the country participate in FEHC through NHPCO and valuable data is provided to the field.

"We are privileged to have Joan Teno working on behalf of vulnerable populations. Many more Americans will have a better experience at the end of their lives due to her research, teaching and insight," said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO.

Dr. Teno is a Professor of Community Health and Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research at the Brown Medical School. Additionally, she serves as an Associate Medical Director at Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island.

The NHPCO Clinical Team Conference and accompanying activities end on Saturday afternoon.