Pediatric Palliative Oncology Academic Leadership Collaborative & Symposium

November 6, 2025

November 7, 2025

Faculty

Deena Levine, MD FAAP FAAHPM - Symposium Chair
Associate Member - Department of Oncology
Division Director - Division of Quality of Life and Palliative Care
Medical Director – Palliative Care & Integrative Medicine Services 
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Brittany Cowfer, MD
Assistant Member, Department of Oncology
Division of Quality of Life and Palliative Care
Division of Leukemia and Lymphoma
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Holly Spraker-Perlman, MD, MS, FAAHPM, ABOIM
Primary Children’s Hospital/University of Utah
Department of Pediatrics, Divisions of Pediatric Oncology & Pediatric Palliative Care

Griffin Collins, MD MAS
Assistant Member
Division Quality of Life and Palliative Care
Department of Oncology
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Meaghann Weaver MD, PhD, MPH, HEC-C
Associate Member - Bioethicist and Palliative Care Physician
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Allie Superdock, MD
Instructor
Division Quality of Life and Palliative Care
Department of Oncology
St Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Trisha Paul, MD
Department of Pediatrics Divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Pediatric Palliative Care, and the Department of Health Humanities and Bioethics
University of Rochester

Michael McNeil MD, MPH
Assistant Member
Department of Global Pediatric Medicine
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Sarah Daniels PhD, CCLS
Child Life Research Specialist
Psychosocial Services
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Andrew Walker PhD, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Systems Science
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine

Zachary Abramson MD DMD
Assistant Member
Department of Radiology
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Lei Zhang, PhD
Assistant Professor of Game Design and Development
College of Computing and Software Engineering|
Kennesaw State University

Scientific Advisory Board

Prasanna Ananth, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Section of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine

Jackelyn Boyden, PhD, MPH, RN
Assistant Professor of Nursing
Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (secondary appointment)

Katharine Brock, MD, MS, FAAHPM
Associate Professor of Pediatrics – Oncology & Palliative Care, Emory University
R. Harold Harrison Chair of Pediatric Supportive Care
Director, Supportive Care Clinic, Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Emily Johnston MD, MS
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Director of Pediatric Palliative Care Education and Research, Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Erica C. Kaye MD, MPH, FAAHPM
Associate Member, Department of Oncology
Director, Quality of Life and Palliative Care Research Program
Chair, Qualitative Research Network
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Sarah McCarthy, PhD
Director of Psychology -Robert’s Program on Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics 
Boston Children’s Hospital

Jennifer Snaman, MD, MS, FAAHPM
Director of Pediatric Palliative Care Research
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children’s Hospital
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School

Casey Walsh, PhD, LICSW
Staff Scientist
Public Health Sciences Division
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Podium Presenters

• Korede Akindele        
• Andrea Johnson
• Callie Daniels-Howell
• Christy Lucas
• Meghan Schaefer
• Blanca Martinez
• Samira Jubran
• Matthew McEvoy
• Abeer Al Hinai
• Carolyn Humphrey
• Roseann Been
• Fyeza Hasan
• Emmanuel Ayire Adonogo
• Molly Mack
• Naomi Goloff
• Biplav Ghimire
• Sevara Mirkhamidova
• Anwar Alnassan
• Lei Cheng
• Xolisile Dlamini
• Asher Marks
• Roula Farah
• Kimberly Hieftje

In Person 

• Amal Bani Mustafa
  Assessing Quality of Care at the End of Life for Children with Cancer: Insights from Family Caregivers
• Naomi Goloff
  Discovering What Works Well: Exploring Primary Palliative Care Education in Pediatrics Residency Programs in Canada
• Fyeza Hasan
  Identifying criteria for referrals to palliative care in pediatric oncology: A scoping review
• Lizana Arend Henrique
  Institutional partnerships and the improvement of palliative care in pediatric oncology: The experience of the AMARTE Alliance.
• Lizana Arend Henrique
  Mobility and Function in Children with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study Using the TUG Test.
• Diego Alberto Esquivo
  Pursuing Meaning in Life After Mourning Due to Pediatric Cancer
• Bruno Cuturi
  Establishment of the first Palliative Care Unit specifically for pediatric oncology and hematology patients in Uruguay at a national referral center.
• Deborah Feifer
  A Simulation Education Intervention Teaching Palliative Care Communication to Pediatric Fellows
• Avis Harden
  The Root of Nutrition: Investigating Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of an Enteral Nutrition Route Versus a Parenteral Nutrition Route in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients
• Saba Javadi
  Limitations of Life-Sustaining Measures among Children with Cancer Experiencing Clinical Deterioration in Latin America and Spain
• Trisha Paul
  Story Sharing as a Strategy for Empowering AYA Patients with Cancer as Educators
• Sarah Peralta
  Examining Value-Conflicts Documented in Ethical Pediatric Consultations During End-of-Life Care: A Secondary Qualitative Analysis
• Linda Radbill
  The Psychological Scope of Practice of Pediatric Palliative Care within Pediatric Oncology
• Linda Radbill
  Preliminary Findings of Implementation of a Brief Mental Health Screener in a Pediatric Palliative Oncology Clinic
• Chelsea Ridener
  Implementation of a Pediatric Palliative Care Team for Pediatric Oncology Patients: An Evidence-Based Practice Improvement Project
• Laura Moynihan
  Narrative review of decision-making in adolescents and young adults with cancer: Implications for adolescents and young adults with uncertain cancer prognoses
• Katrina Gleditsch
  Early Integration of Palliative Care Services for Patients with High-Risk Solid Tumor Diagnoses
• Jonathan Ebelhar
  Association of Patient and Caregiver Distress With Referral to Palliative Care Clinic in Pediatric Oncology
• Nelda Itzep (Santosh Yatam Ganesh )
  Use of Nebulized Tranexamic acid (TA) in combination with nebulized recombinant coagulation factor VIIa to treat hemoptysis in pediatric cancer patients at end-of-life (EOL)

Virtual

• Zannat Ara
  Knowledge, Attitude, And Practices Among Bangladeshi Nurses Toward Pediatric Palliative Care: A Qualitative Study
• Dilankani Samarakoon
  Physical symptom prevalence in Pediatric Onco-Palliative Patients at National Cancer Institute, Sri Lanka (NCISL)
• Mona Ahmed
  Implementation of a Quality-of-Life Care Service at Shefa Al-Orman Children’s Cancer Hospital, Luxor, Egypt: Enhancing Care and Measuring Patient Satisfaction  
• Dima Khalil
  Enhancing End-of-Life Care for Children with Cancer in Syria: Impact of Palliative Care Education on Home-Based Death
• Maxwell Lee
  Participant Perceptions of a Problem-Solving Skills Intervention for Parents of Children  Undergoing Stem Cell Transplant
• Marina Mathey
  What do our newly graduated physicians know about palliative care?
• Guadalupe Massera
  Perspective of the pediatric patient on the oncological surgery process.
• Ericka Natalie Picazo Rivera
  The Role of Psychology Services in Pediatric Palliative Care in a Northern Mexico Hospital
• Julia Tager
  Creation of a Novel Communication Tool for Identifying Care Preferences at Diagnosis and Clinical Status Change for AYAs with Cancer
• Kasapo Mandona
  Bridging the gap: A Social Worker's role in paediatric palliative care for a rural Zambian child with retinoblastoma
• Abeer Al Hinai
  Improving Comfort for Paediatric Palliative Care Patients: Innovations in Subcutaneous Cannulation for Optimal Medication Delivery
• Quynh Nguyen
  Initial outputs of pediatric palliative care training of an Academic Palliative Care Department in a Major Health Sciences University in Vietnam
• Mercedes Guibelalde
  The Impact of Actor-Based Simulation on Communication in Pediatric Oncology and Palliative Care
• Ané Büchner
  Developing a Paediatric Palliative Care Service in a Tertiary Hospital in South Africa: Lessons from the First Six Months
• Issarang Nuchprayoon
  Spirituality in Southeast Asia: assessment and spiritual interventions in families of children with cancer in Thailand
• Roula Farah
  Empowering Families and Psychologists through Psycho-Oncology Capacity Building and Adaptation of validated assessment tools for children with cancer and blood disorders in Lebanon: A national pioneer initiative by CHANCE Association.
• Roula Farah
  Innovations in pain management and symptom control: Attitudes towards the Use of Virtual Reality for Pain and Anxiety Management in Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders.
• Momena Begum Ashic
  Pioneering Pediatric Palliative Care in Bangladesh – A 12-Year Journey
• Nana Yaa Akyaa Bonney
  Caregiver Burden in Pediatriic Palliative Care: A Mixed-Methods Study at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana
• Korede Akindele
  Strengthening Pediatric Palliative Care in Nigeria through National Policy Integration and Workforce Development
• Sachin Dwivedi
  From Admission to Alignment: A Quality Improvement Study of Nurse Led Palliative Care Screening and Communication in Pediatric Trauma ICU in India
• Ching-Ching Yang
  The Impacts of Patient Centred Outcome Measures in Children and Young People with Life - Limiting Conditions in Health Care Setting: A Systematic Review

Registration

When registering for the symposium, please also reserve a spot in your preferred breakout sessions, as space will be limited in each session. You can register for one breakout per session, and please do not register for the same breakout more than once. See the Schedule for more information about breakout sessions. 

Registration fees for in-person attendance are as follows: 

Symposium (Thurs-Fri) 

• Physicians: $249
• Non-Physicians: $199
• Trainees: $149 

Virtual Registration: $75

Call for Abstracts

The Pediatric Palliative Oncology Academic Leadership Collaborative & Symposium aims to create a unique forum for the dissemination and advancement of scholarly work in the field. Abstracts submitted for this symposium will undergo peer review and may be selected for podium and/or poster presentation. All planning to attend are encouraged to submit an abstract, regardless of role or level of training. We are committed to promoting the career development of multi-disciplinary trainees and junior faculty.  A limited number of travel stipends will be offered to highly rated abstracts to support in-person attendance. Abstracts selected for podium presentations will require in-person attendance, while poster presentations can be in-person or virtual.

Abstracts can present findings from original research, education, and quality improvement projects. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies are welcomed. Data driven abstracts, including works-in-progress, will be prioritized.

Work that has been submitted or presented elsewhere is eligible for submission provided that it has not been published in manuscript form prior to the submission deadline.

Why Submit an Abstract?

• Advance the future of Pediatric Palliative Oncology by sharing innovative research and academic work that drives progress in the field and advances the care of children and families
• Gain recognition and connect with leading experts in the field
• Network with multi-disciplinary scholars, exchange insights, and receive valuable feedback from key thought leaders
• You may be offered a travel stipend if your abstract is selected and among the highest rated!

Abstract submissions have closed.

We appreciate your participation and desire to share your research/academic work.

Abstract Guidelines

Your abstract should use the following structure to provide a concise summary of your work. Please describe the background, methods, results and conclusions of your scholarly project (these headers are required). Describe experimental methods briefly (including relevant numbers of patients, etc.). Statistical analyses should be used when appropriate to support the conclusion. Define all concepts and abbreviations upon first use (e.g., Quality of Life [QOL]). 

• Abstract submissions should be 400 words or less, excluding title and authors. While not required, a maximum of two images (table and/or figure) are permitted. References are not required but should not exceed 5 if included.
• Abstracts should be uploaded as a Word document (.docx) and formatted as below: 
  • Title
  • Author(s) and Affiliations 
  • Background 
  • Methods 
  • Results
  • Conclusion
  • Table/ Figure (if submitting)

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