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Thursday, March 30, 2006

Keynote: Increasing Access to Hospice and Palliative Care

J. Donald Schumacher, Psy.D.

J. Donald Schumacher is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, President of the National Hospice Foundation and President of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2004. A globally recognized authority on hospice and palliative care, Dr. Schumacher has been active throughout his career as a member and officer of various industry organizations, and has presented domestically and internationally on topics such as strategic planning for hospice, palliative care policy development, and clinical guidelines for HIV.

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Friday, March 31, 2006

Opening Plenary: Exploring the Death Denying Function of Culture

Sheldon Solomon, Ph.D.

Sheldon Solomon is Professor of Psychology and Ross Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Skidmore College. As an experimental social psychologist, his interests include the nature of self, consciousness, and social behavior. His work exploring the effects of the uniquely human awareness of death on individual and social behavior has been supported by the National Science Foundation and Ernest Becker Foundation and was recently featured in the award winning documentary film Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality; he is co-author of In the Wake of 9/11: The Psychology of Terror (2003, American Psychological Association Books) and co-founder of The World Leaders Project.

Closing Plenary: From Cruzan to Schiavo: What have we Learned?

William H. (Bill) Colby

Bill Colby is the lawyer who represented the family of Nancy Cruzan, and the author of Long Goodbye: The Deaths of Nancy Cruzan. The Cruzan Case is the first right-to-die case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Bill has appeared on Larry King Live, CNN, MSNBC, Hardball, Fox News, Good Morning America, NPR, Today, CBS This Morning, and similar programs, and speaks across the country on the issues we face at the end of life. His op ed on the Schiavo case appeared in USA Today on March 6, 2005. Bill's new book, Unplugged: Reclaiming our Right to Die in America is due out in May, 2006.

Registraion for the 26th Annua Interdisciplinary Seminar and Meeting has closed. Please check back for information regarding the 27th AISM.