Foundations of Palliative Care
- Continuing Education
Gain essential skills in whole person care, symptom management, and serious illness communication through Foundations of Palliative Care, a two-day course designed for all members of the palliative care team. Learn alongside an interdisciplinary group of expert faculty and peers to build a shared foundation for effective, compassionate palliative practice across all care settings and patient ages.
- In Person
October session: This course requires in person attendance.
January session: This course is taught online in real time.
Peter K. Markell Center at Assembly Row, 399 Revolution Drive, Somerville, MA
$945
This is the standard price, for a full list of profession pricing see below. Group discounts are available.
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Early Registration Deadline:
Two Days (In Person: October); Live Online (January)
Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.
- Live Online
October session: This course requires in person attendance.
January session: This course is taught online in real time.
$945
This is the standard price, for a full list of profession pricing see below. Group discounts are available.
View All
Early Registration Deadline:
Two Days (In Person: October); Live Online (January)
Please view the Schedule for a full description of the program.
On This Page
Overview
The new Foundations of Palliative Care course, offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, will provide a focused approach for entering the practice of palliative care.
The purpose of the course is for participants to gain primary palliative care knowledge and skills, with an emphasis on whole person assessment, whole person support and symptom management, and serious illness conversations.
Instructors in the course will include clinicians who are practicing palliative care across the Harvard Medical School affiliate hospitals in the Boston area. The course faculty have provided rigorous learning experiences through other programs offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, including Practical Aspects of Palliative Care and Palliative Care Education and Practice. Foundations of Palliative Care will build on the success of these courses.
This two-day course is designed for all members of the palliative care team to learn the fundamentals of effective practice. We encourage interdisciplinary teams to enroll together and to bring back to their settings the benefits of a shared experience and a common language. Group discounts are available for team enrollment.
We have designed this course to be meaningful to pediatrics and adolescent medicine clinicians through presentation and skill-building in common palliative care tasks for all ages such as assessment, communication, and grief and bereavement. The course will attend to content for pediatric providers where the skills and concepts are significantly different.
We seek to prepare, encourage, and inspire palliative care clinicians across all roles on an interdisciplinary team. Foundations of Palliative Care will be the first course in a new three course arc to be offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, with the subsequent courses aimed for introduction in the first part of 2026.
Available Sessions:
Learning Objectives
- Conduct serious illness conversations with patients and families that demonstrate compassion, that inform care plans, and that achieve a shared understanding for moving forward.
- Perform a whole person assessment of the patient that uses research-based tools, that includes evaluation of pain and other symptoms, and that encompasses psychosocial and spiritual factors, as well.
- Manage the physical and psychological symptoms of seriously ill patients in an informed, responsible, and compassionate way.
- Attend to the needs of imminently dying patients and to families and loved ones who are experiencing grief and bereavement.
- Contribute to an interprofessional palliative care team with a deep understanding of the respective roles that physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and chaplains have to play.
- Develop as self-reflective palliative care practitioners who deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care, who value being part of an interdisciplinary team, and who are committed to continuous improvement in caring for patients and families at the end o
- Engage in practice with a deeper understanding of palliative care and hospice care, providing context for individual patient care.
Developed and Offered By:
Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Harvard Medical School, Center for Palliative Care.
Participant Types
Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Chaplains, Pharmacists, Other Palliative Care Providers
Overview
The new Foundations of Palliative Care course, offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, will provide a focused approach for entering the practice of palliative care.
The purpose of the course is for participants to gain primary palliative care knowledge and skills, with an emphasis on whole person assessment, whole person support and symptom management, and serious illness conversations.
Instructors in the course will include clinicians who are practicing palliative care across the Harvard Medical School affiliate hospitals in the Boston area. The course faculty have provided rigorous learning experiences through other programs offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, including Practical Aspects of Palliative Care and Palliative Care Education and Practice. Foundations of Palliative Care will build on the success of these courses.
This two-day course is designed for all members of the palliative care team to learn the fundamentals of effective practice. We encourage interdisciplinary teams to enroll together and to bring back to their settings the benefits of a shared experience and a common language. Group discounts are available for team enrollment.
We have designed this course to be meaningful to pediatrics and adolescent medicine clinicians through presentation and skill-building in common palliative care tasks for all ages such as assessment, communication, and grief and bereavement. The course will attend to content for pediatric providers where the skills and concepts are significantly different.
We seek to prepare, encourage, and inspire palliative care clinicians across all roles on an interdisciplinary team. Foundations of Palliative Care will be the first course in a new three course arc to be offered through the Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, with the subsequent courses aimed for introduction in the first part of 2026.
Available Sessions:
Learning Objectives
- Conduct serious illness conversations with patients and families that demonstrate compassion, that inform care plans, and that achieve a shared understanding for moving forward.
- Perform a whole person assessment of the patient that uses research-based tools, that includes evaluation of pain and other symptoms, and that encompasses psychosocial and spiritual factors, as well.
- Manage the physical and psychological symptoms of seriously ill patients in an informed, responsible, and compassionate way.
- Attend to the needs of imminently dying patients and to families and loved ones who are experiencing grief and bereavement.
- Contribute to an interprofessional palliative care team with a deep understanding of the respective roles that physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, and chaplains have to play.
- Develop as self-reflective palliative care practitioners who deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care, who value being part of an interdisciplinary team, and who are committed to continuous improvement in caring for patients and families at the end o
- Engage in practice with a deeper understanding of palliative care and hospice care, providing context for individual patient care.
Developed and Offered By:
Continuing Education courses are developed by faculty from Harvard Medical School's teaching hospitals and accredited by Harvard Medical School. This course is offered by Harvard Medical School, Center for Palliative Care.
Participant Types
Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Chaplains, Pharmacists, Other Palliative Care Providers
Schedule
All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Registration & Breakfast
7:30-8:15 am
Welcome & Introduction
John Halporn; Simone Rinaldi; Todd Rinehart; Kelsey Anderson-Gandhi
8:15-8:45 am
What is Palliative Care?
James Tulsky; Vicki Jackson
8:45-9:45 am
Serious Illness Communication
9:45-11:45 am
Lunch Break
11:45 am-12:15 pm
Whole Person Assessment
Sarah Byrne-Martelli; Katie Rimer; Amanda Moment; Ellie Frechette
12:15-1:45 pm
Break
1:45-2:00 pm
Whole Person Assessment (continued)
John Halporn; Kate Sciacca; Benjamin Kematick
2:00-3:30 pm
Hospice 101
3:30-4:30 pm
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Breakfast
7:30-8:15 am
Welcome Back
John Halporn; Simone Rinaldi; Todd Rinehart; Kelsey Anderson-Gandhi
8:15-8:30 am
Symptom Management
Carrie Wu; Allyson Beechy; Jonathan Jehle ; Janet Abrahm; Richard Leiter; Heather Patel (Carlson)
8:30-10:30 am
Break
10:30-10:45 am
Symptom Management (continued)
10:45-11:45 am
Lunch Break
11:45 am-1:00 pm
Caring for the Imminently Dying Patient
Vicki Jackson
1:00-2:30 pm
Break
2:30-3:00 pm
Grief and Bereavement
Bethany Myers; Mary Barber Bussiere
3:00-4:00 pm
Break
4:00-4:15 pm
How Do We Integrate Serious Illness Conversation and Palliative Care Concepts into Our Daily Work?
John Halporn; Simone Rinaldi; Kelsey Anderson-Gandhi; Todd Rinehart
4:15-5:15 pm
Closing Remarks
John Halporn; Simone Rinaldi; Kelsey Anderson-Gandhi; Todd Rinehart
5:15-5:30 pm
Schedule
All agenda sessions are in Eastern Time.
Monday, January 12, 2026
What is Palliative Care?
James Tulsky; Vicki Jackson
8:45-9:45 am
Serious Illness Communication
9:45-11:45 am
Lunch Break
11:45 am-12:15 pm
Whole Person Assessment
Sarah Byrne-Martelli; Katie Rimer; Amanda Moment; Ellie Frechette
12:15-1:45 pm
Break
1:45-2:00 pm
Whole Person Assessment (continued)
John Halporn; Kate Sciacca; Benjamin Kematick
2:00-3:30 pm
Hospice 101
3:30-4:30 pm
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Symptom Management
Carrie Wu; Allyson Beechy; Jonathan Jehle ; Janet Abrahm; Richard Leiter; Heather Patel (Carlson)
8:30-10:30 am
Break
10:30-10:35 am
Symptom Management (continued)
10:35-11:35 am
Lunch Break
11:35 am-12:05 pm
Caring for the Imminently Dying Patient
Vicki Jackson
12:05-1:35 pm
Grief and Bereavement
Bethany Myers; Mary Barber Bussiere
1:35-3:05 pm
Break
3:05-3:20 pm
How Do We Integrate Serious Illness Conversation and Palliative Care Concepts into Our Daily Work?
John Halporn; Todd Rinehart
3:20-4:20 pm
Faculty
Harvard Medical School Continuing Education attracts the best and brightest faculty from all around the world. As a student in this course, you’ll have access to outstanding course directors and faculty.
John D. Halporn, MD
Course Director
- Director, Palliative Care Service; Co-Chair, Hospital Ethics Committee, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Terrence P. Murphy, MD
Course Director
- Assistant Professor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
- Institute Physician in Pediatric Palliative Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Boston Children’s Hospital
Todd Rinehart, LICSW, APHSW-C
Course Planner
- Social Work and Spiritual Care Director, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Simone Rinaldi, MSN, ANP-BC, ACHPN
Course Planner
- Director of Nursing, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Mary Barber Bussiere, MSW, LICSW, PMH-C
Pediatric Bereavement Coordinator, MassGeneral for Children
Allyson Beechy, PharmD, BCGP
Clinical Pharmacy Specialist – Palliative Care Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
John D. Halporn, MD
Director, Palliative Care Service
Co-Chair, Hospital Ethics Committee, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Vicki Jackson, MD, MPH
Blum Family Endowed Chair in Palliative Care
Chief, Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Co-Director, Harvard Medical School Center of Palliative Care; Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Jonathan Jehle AGNP-BC, ACHPN
Department of Supportive Oncology
Inpatient Palliative Care Consult Service
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Benjamin Kematick, PharmD, BCACP
Outpatient Advanced Practice Palliative Care
Opioid Management and Drug Diversion Committee
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Elizabeth Lindenberger, MD
Medical Director, MGH Continuum Project
Associate Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital
Faculty, Harvard Medical School
David McDonald, MD, FACP, HMDC
Vice President, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Care Dimensions
Amanda Moment, MSW, LICSW
Intensive Palliative Care Unit, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Bethany Myers, MDiv, MSW, LICSW, APHSW-C
Bereavement Coordinator, Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Heather Patel, MSN, APRN, APN-BC, ACHPN
Outpatient Nurse Practitioner Lead - Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital
Kristen Schaefer, MD
Vice President, Associate Chief Medical Officer, Care Dimensions
Kate Sciacca, NP
Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner, Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
James Tulsky, MD
Poorvu Jaffe Chair, Department of Supportive Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Chief, Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital
Co-Director, Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
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Course Fees
Fee Disclaimer
You may register through our secure online environment and will receive an email confirmation upon receipt of your payment. Prices include CME credit, electronic syllabus and access to recordings for 30 days after the course.
At the end of the registration process, a $10 non-refundable processing fee will be added to your registration.
Early Registration Deadline:
Early Registration Deadline:
| Role | Standard Price | Early Registration Price |
|---|---|---|
| Physician (MD/DO) | $945.00 | $850.50 |
| Nurse (RN/APRN) | $745.00 | $670.50 |
| PA | $845.00 | $760.50 |
| Social Worker | $645.00 | $580.50 |
| Allied Health Professional / Other | $845.00 | $760.50 |
Chaplains seeking to register for the course should contact learn@hms.harvard.edu for additional information.
View Group DiscountsAccreditation
The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 14.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
For the purpose of recertification, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board and American Nurses Credentialing Center accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ issued by organizations accredited by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
The National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) states that AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ are acceptable for continuing medical education requirements for recertification. We would also suggest that learners check with their state licensing board to ensure they accept reciprocity with AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for re-licensure.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has an agreement of mutual recognition of continuing medical education (CME) credit with the European Union of Medical Specialties (UEMS). Additional information regarding this agreement may be found on the European Union of Medical Specialties website.
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada recognizes conferences and workshops held outside of Canada that are developed by a university, academy, hospital, specialty society or college as accredited group learning activities.