David J. Casarett, M.D., M.A., Staff Physician and Medical Director, Palliative Care, Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Director of Research and Education for the University of Pennsylvania's Wissahickon Hospice; Associate Professor, Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: identify "last acts" that are important to people at the end of life; describe ways that hospice and palliative care professionals can assist people with their chosen last acts/important goals at the end of life; and discuss the potential for growth and new possibilities inherent in the end-of-life experience.

March 9, 2010: Psychiatry Update

"Measuring Outcome When Treating Depression in Routine Clinical Practice"

Mark Zimmerman, M.D., Director, Outpatient Psychiatric Services, Rhode Island Hospital; Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: recognize the importance of measuring outcome to improve patient outcome and potentially implement quality improvement efforts; and identify potential obstacles towards measuring outcome in routine clinical practice and methods to overcome these obstacles.

"Body Dysmorphic Disorder: What Physicians Need to Know"

Katharine A. Phillips, M.D., Director of Research for Adult Psychiatry, and Director, Body Dysmorphic Disorder Program, Rhode Island Hospital; Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: recognize the clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder; and discuss effective and ineffective treatments for body dysmorphic disorder.

March 16, 2010: Morbidity & Mortality Conference

Case 1: "A 58-year-old woman presents with syncope"

Presenter: Christine Duffy, M.D., General Internal Medicine

Panelists: Cardiology and Electrophysiology - to be announced

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: recognize the clinical features suggestive of cardiac syncope; discuss the management and work-up of patients with syncope; and discuss the triage of patients with suspected cardiac syncope.

Case 2: "A 53-year-old man with a pacemaker presenting with recurrent methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteremia"

Presenter: Kelly McGarry, M.D., General Internal Medicine

Panelists: Infectious Diseases, Electrophysiology, and Cardiothoracic Surgery - to be announced

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: recognize risk factors and complications of staphylococcus aureus bacteremia; discuss the management of implanted cardiac devices in the patient with bacteremia.

March 23, 2010: Hematology/Oncology Update

"Hot Topics in Hematology"

Peter J. Quesenberry, M.D., Director, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Rhode Island/The Miriam Hospitals; Professor of Medicine and Paul Calabresi, MD, Professorship in Oncology, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to recognize new genetic aspects of hematologic malignancies and advances in benign hematology

"Early Stage Breast Cancer: Who gets treatment and why?"

Rochelle Strenger, M.D., Active Staff, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Rhode Island, The Miriam, and Women and Infants Hospitals; Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Objectives: At the conclusion of this conference, participants should be able to: recognize prognostic factors in early stage breast cancer; and discuss the utility of multi-gene assay in treatment planning process.

March 30, 2010: Topic, Presenter, and Objectives to be announced