8:30 am Registration/Continental Breakfast
9:00 am Bearing Witness, Giving Voice: Implementation and Outcomes of
First-Person Storytelling in Healthcare
Gaetan Sgro, MD
Abstract: Part lecture, part workshop, this session focuses on the VA Healthcare System’s My Life, My Story program, an innovative project that connects clinicians and trainees with Veterans through a joint effort to record Veterans’ life stories in their medical records. Participants will learn to distinguish between a diagnostic and a life story interview, practice deep listening and first-person storytelling, and appreciate the impacts of My Story notes on clinicians and patients.
10:30 am Implicit Bias and the Themes of Film The Chaplain and the Doctor
Jessica Zitter, MD
Abstract: This interactive, scene-based workshop uses selected clips from The Chaplain & The Doctor to explore the human dimensions of healthcare. Through facilitated discussion and reflection, participants examine real-world challenges related to communication, bias, ethical decision-making, and patient trust. The session highlights the impact of social determinants of health and the importance of integrating spiritual and emotional care alongside medical treatment. By engaging with diverse patient cases, participants will consider strategies to strengthen interprofessional collaboration, navigate difficult conversations, and align care with patient values. Grounded in storytelling, this workshop fosters empathy, curiosity, and practical skills to support more compassionate, patient-centered care across clinical settings.
12:30 pm Advance Care Planning and Complex Medical Decision Making for Patients
with Dementia Diagnosis
Christine Kistler, MD
Abstract: People with dementia face medical decisions across the course of their disease. Their ability to participate in those conversations changes as their disease progresses. Understanding the different ethical and decisional challenges faced at each stage can improve medical providers’ ability to have advance care planning and goals of care conversations. This session will include dementia-specific ethical issues and advance care planning/ goals of care topics appropriate to dementia stage. It will feature short videos and role-playing opportunities to put skills into action.
2:00 pm Wish to Die: EOL Conversations with Patients
Heather Mikes, DO, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Abstract: When patients express a wish to die, it can often be misinterpreted as a desire to hasten death or suicidal ideation. However, a wish to die is an expression that can fluctuate throughout a serious illness and need not imply either. As medical providers, we must be careful that our initial reactions are not focused on fixing, fulfilling, nor dismissing this request. Instead, providing therapeutic presence and exploring the meaning behind these requests can reveal supportive and individualized interventions.
3:30 pm Workshop Adjournment