Five academic researchers awarded seed grants by the Gary and Mary West Foundation to advance palliative care research
$45,000 in research funding presented at California State University Institute for Palliative Care’s second national symposium
SAN DIEGO, CA – October 20, 2016 – Five academic researchers in the field of palliative care were awarded a total of $45,000 in research grants to advance education and research with the goal of improving care and quality of life for the country’s most chronically ill patients. The funding was provided by the Gary and Mary West Foundation for the California State University Institute for Palliative Care’s Second National Symposium for Academic Palliative Care Education and Research. The seed grant award winners are as follows:
Seed Grant Award Winners
• Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University for the project, “Enhancing Palliative Care Knowledge Through a National Lifelong Learning Network.”
• Ronit Elk, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor, College of Nursing, University of South Carolina for the project, “Community-Engaged Hospitalists Training.”
• Joy Goebel, RN, MN, Ph.D., FPCN, Associate Professor of Nursing and Faculty Director of the CSU Institute for Palliative Care at Long Beach for the project, “Increasing Palliative Care Within the Latino Community.”
• Wendell Hanna, Ph.D., Professor of Music Education, San Francisco State University for the project, “Somatic Movement with Music Protocol Development and Implementation for Seniors in Hospice Care.”
• Thanh Huynh Neville, MD, Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Step II, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, David Geffen School of Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles for the project, “Creating a Meaningful End of Life Experience for Older Patients.”
“We are pleased to support academic research efforts designed to increase the use of palliative care so it becomes a standard of practice for patients with serious illnesses in all care settings,” said Brenda Schmitthenner, program officer for successful aging at the Gary and Mary West Foundation. “This year’s seed grant funding helps fuel innovation, research and education in palliative care to improve care and enhance quality of life for seniors and family caregivers – a key part of our Foundation’s work to enable successful aging.”
Seed Grant Funds Stimulate Research
The Institute received $45,000 in seed grand funding support from the Gary and Mary West Foundation to present to five academic faculty award winners. An esteemed committee of judges comprised of researchers, academic faculty and palliative care experts reviewed more than 20 proposals, all with the purpose of advancing research and innovations to improve care and enhance quality of life for seniors and family caregivers. The five selected grant awardees will carry out their research projects over the next year and present their findings at the 2018 Symposium.
Hosted by the California State University Institute for Palliative Care in Southern California, September 28 – 29, the symposium brought together 180 faculty from institutions across the U.S. who teach and conduct research in the field of palliative care and related areas. The symposium was designed to bring colleagues together to connect and collaborate and launch much-needed research efforts to advance this discipline.
The recipients were part of a nationwide call for research proposals to faculty involved in palliative care education and research projects that improve care and enhance quality of life for seniors and family caregivers. Submission topics ranged from home- and community-based palliative care; aging-in-place; frailty; addressing multiple chronic conditions; stress management and shared-decision making for seniors; and broader dissemination of palliative care services for older adults.
To achieve the transformation necessary for palliative care to become the standard practice across the healthcare system, faculty and researchers need to engage and educate the next generation of clinical and academic professionals. Faculty members interested in or engaged in palliative care education and research are invited to learn more about the 2018 Symposium by visiting csupalliativecare.org/symposium. For further information, call the CSU Institute for Palliative Care at 760-750-4006.
About the California State University Institute for Palliative Care
The California State University Institute for Palliative Care is dedicated to increasing access to and awareness of palliative care by educating current and future professionals as well as community members. It offers palliative care-focused professional development and continuing education courses that are enhancing the skills of current and future healthcare professionals across the country and around the world. Housed within the largest university system in the United States, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the trained palliative care workforce needed to meet the growing number of chronically or seriously ill people in all care settings, today and tomorrow.
About West Health and the Gary and Mary West Foundation
Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health includes the nonprofit and nonpartisan Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. These organizations are working together toward a shared mission dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. For more information, visit westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.
California State University Institute for Palliative Care Media Contact:
Steve Dahl
sdahl@csusm.edu
(760) 750-7292
Media Contact:
Tim Ingersoll
tpingersoll@westhealth.org
(858) 412-8727