SAN DIEGO, CA – May 24, 2016 – The California State University Institute for Palliative Care (Institute) has received support from the Gary and Mary West Foundation to award seed grant funding worth $10,000 to academic faculty attending the Engaging the Next Generation: Academic Palliative Care Education and Research Symposium. The event, which will be held from September 30 – October 1, 2016 on the campus of California State University San Marcos, is designed to advance education and research in palliative care among academic faculty. Applications for grants will be accepted from June 1 – August 31, 2016, with application information provided at registration. The grants to be awarded will be announced at the symposium.
Attendees of the symposium are encouraged to submit proposals for seed grant funding to demonstrate the potential of innovative educational and research projects that improve care and enhance quality of life for serious and chronically ill patients. The symposium will bring together faculty from across the U.S. who teach and conduct research in the field of palliative care and related areas. Seed grant awardees will be invited to present the results of their work at the 2017 Symposium.
Palliative care provides those with a serious or chronic illness – from the time of diagnosis throughout the course of treatment – care that addresses not only physical needs but also their psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs and optimizes quality of life by anticipating, preventing and managing suffering. It is delivered by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists and other practitioners. According to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, more than 90 million Americans are living with serious illness today and this number is expected to significantly increase with more than 10,000 U.S. baby boomers turning 65 every day.
“To achieve the transformation necessary for palliative care to become the standard practice across the healthcare system, we need higher education faculty and researchers to engage the next generation of professionals with palliative care,” said CSU Institute for Palliative Care Executive Director Helen B. McNeal. “These seed grants will help to foster exploration, innovation and research at the nation’s colleges and universities and help to advance the work of dedicated faculty to meet this challenge.”
“Palliative care has tremendous potential for improving the quality of life for seriously ill seniors in this country,” said Tim Lash, executive vice president of strategy and successful aging for the Gary and Mary West Foundation. “The Foundation provides outcomes-based funding to support successful aging initiatives and these seed grants will advance innovative palliative care research that aligns with our mission of enabling seniors to successfully age, living life on their own terms with access to high-quality health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence.”
Five seed grants will be awarded at the symposium. Detailed information about the application process will be provided to symposium registrants upon registration. Faculty members interested in or engaged in palliative care education and research are invited to learn more about the symposium or register by visiting csupalliativecare.org/symposium. For further information, call the CSU Institute for Palliative Care at 760-750-4006.