Keynote Speakers
Dr. Russell Portenoy
Dr. Russell Portenoy is chairman of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, Chief Medical Officer of Continuum Hospice Care, and Professor of Neurology and Anesthesiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is current President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Past-President of the American Pain Society. He has authored 17 books and over 400 papers on topics related to pain and symptom management, opioid pharmacotherapy and symptom assessment. Dr. Portenoy is widely recognized as a leading expert on pain management and an outspoken advocate for those who suffer needlessly.
Dr. Perry Fine
Dr. Perry Fine is a founding member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. He is a Professor of Anesthesiology in the School of Medicine at the University of Utah and is on the Boards of Directors of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Pain Foundation and the Society for Arts in Healthcare. Dr. Fine is past Chair of the Ethics Committee for the NHPCO and of the NHPCO Research Committee, and formerly on the boards of both VistaCare and the NHPCO. He is the author of The Hospice Companion.
Conference Chair
Carolyn Cassin
Carolyn Cassin is President and CEO of the National Hospice Work group. A leader in the hospice movement since 1983, Ms. Cassin was CEO of Hospice of Michigan for ten years and has managed some of the largest hospices in the country. She served as Chairperson and President of the National Hospice Organization and serves on the Board of Trustees for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.