A March 5 conference at Emory Law will address what is often the most emotionally fraught and expensive periods of medical care—the end of life.

"Health Care, Ethics and Dispute Resolution: Best Practices for Addressing End-of-Life Issues and Providing Patient-Centered Care,” is a half-day conference featuring experts in the fields of ethics, law, religion and medicine. The conference is free, public and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, in Emory Law’s Tull Auditorium, with registration held during the preceding half-hour.

Panel topics and speakers are:

“How Can We All Get Along? The Key Elements of Preventing Conflict”

• Michael J. Broyde, professor of law and senior fellow, Center for the Study of Law and Religion
• Craig M. Frankel, attorney, GaslowitzFrankel LLC (wills, trusts and estates)
• Kathy Kinlaw, associate director, Emory Center for Ethics and director of the center's Health Sciences and Ethics program

"Tough Discussions and Difficult Decisions: When and How to Have Them and Make Them in Order to Achieve Better Outcomes"

• Elwood "Woody" H. Spackman Jr., executive director, Emory Center for Pastoral Services and co-chair, Ethics Committees of Emory and Wesley Woods Hospitals
• Emory Law Professor LIza Vertinsky
• Deborah Cruze, senior associate for Emory University Center for Ethics's Health Sciences and Ethics program

"Taking the High Road and the Role of Ethics in the Resolution of Conflict: What Are the Real Issues and How Can We Look for Solutions When They Arise?"

• Tara Adyanthaya, attorney and former associate general counsel on healthcare matters of Emory University (bioethics dispute resolution)
• Charlene Bunts, principal, Health Development Resource/Consulting (healthcare conflict resolution)
• Tammy Quest, associate professor, Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine; principal, Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care, Emergency Medicine Initiative

Opening speaker is Charity Scott, associate faculty, Emory University Center for Ethics; Catherine C. Henson Professor of Law; and director of Georgia State University College of Law's Center for Law, Health and Society.

The conference is presented by Emory Law's Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy, the Center for Advocacy and Dispute Resolution, the Center for the Study of Law and Religion and the Emory University Center for Ethics, in cooperation with the Emory Law Alternative Dispute Resolution Society, the Student Bar Association and the Health Law Society.

The conference qualifies for continuing education credit, but participants must request credit and are responsible for any associated fees.

For more information on the conference, email Jonathan Anderson »