West Virginia Network of Ethics Committees 38th Annual Symposium
"When Values Collide: A Framework and Strategies for Contemporary Ethics Consultation", examining real-world cases where patient, family, and provider values clash.
-
:Stonewall Resort
About
This case-based, interactive symposium is designed for current and aspiring ethics consultants, committee members, and health care professionals who navigate complex ethical issues and assist their institutions in addressing them. In contemporary health care, values often clash among patients, families, and providers, leading to moral distress and challenging consultation cases.
This symposium moves beyond basic ethical principles to provide a structured framework and practical process-driven strategies to reach harmonious resolutions of common ethics consultation conflicts.
Speakers and panelists will discuss the following cases: an emotionally distraught, physically suffering patient with terminal cancer requests medical assistance in dying; a functionally very weak patient with questionable decision- making capacity is in conflict with his medical power of attorney representative son over his refusal of respiratory treatments needed to sustain his life; a pediatric patient with metastatic cancer refuses cancer treatment over his mother’s objection because it makes him so sick; and a terminally ill, functionally impaired octogenarian requests to stay in her own home and not go to a nursing home even though she is running out of money to pay her 24/7 caregivers.
Target Audience
This conference is intended for people who serve on ethics committees, physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, attorneys, community members of ethics committees, and others who wish to increase their knowledge of ethical and legal issues in health care ethics consultation.
Disclosure
It has been determined that the content of this activity is not related to any products or services of any commercial interests, therefore, no evidence was gathered related to faculty / authors / planners’ relationships with commercial interests.
Overview
Keynote Speaker
Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C is the Executive Director and Certifified Clinical Ethicist at the Vermont Ethics Network (VEN). She earned her BA from Colby College in Waterville, ME, Masters in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Vermont, Masters in Clinical Ethics (MSB) from Clarkson University and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and holds a certifificate in bioethics with a specialization in health policy and law from Union Graduate College and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai. In addition to her role at VEN, Cindy works part-time at the University of Vermont Medical Center as a clinical ethicist, chairs the Ethics Committee for the State of Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living (DAIL), co-chairs the Central Vermont Medical Center Ethics Committee and directs the Statewide Task Force on Palliative Care. She is the 2020 recipient of the Madison-Deane Award for Excellence in End-of-Life Care. A native Vermonter, Cindy lives in central Vermont with her husband, children, black lab, horse and miniature donkey.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to…
Implement a systematic framework and process for conducting ethics consultations.
Formulate clear, well-justified ethics recommendations and communicate them effectively.
Examine when clinicians should override treatment refusals of patients with limited capacity.
Apply relevant West Virginia health care law to cases in which there are issues regarding decision-making capacity, informed consent, advance directive implementation, and respecting medical orders.
The symposium goal is to better prepare attendees to perform ethics consultation and give ethics advice in their health care settings. The target audience for this symposium is physicians, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, nurses, social workers, chaplains, attorneys, and others who have an interest in this topic.
Schedule
Day 1: Friday, May 22
-
Case 1: The Patient Wants to Die: How Should Her Physician Respond?
-
Stacie D. Honaker, JD
-
Laurel Lyckholm, MD
-
Kimberly McFadden
-
Daniel Miller, PhD
Moderator will be Alvin H. Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM.
-
Keynote Talk: When Patients Refuse: What's a Good Clinician to Do?
-
Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C
-
Break
-
Case 2: Who's in Charge: The Patient or His Son?
-
Jennifer A Johnson, Reverend, M.Div, BCC
-
Stacie D. Honaker, JD
-
Larri D Terrell, BSN, RN
-
Matthew Smith, MD, MS
Moderator will be Alvin H. Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
to
Lunch
-
Reflections from a Statewide Ethics Network
-
Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C
-
Case 3: The Right to Refuse Cancer Treatment: Should It Extend to Minors?
-
Stacie D. Honaker, JD
-
Laurel Lyckholm, MD
-
Daniel Miller, PhD
-
Matthew Smith, MD, MS
Moderator will be Alvin H. Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
-
Break
-
Conceptual Tools for Navigating Ethical Decision-Making in Health Care
-
Daniel Miller, PhD
-
Case 4: "Kathy"- a case of a patient with "limited" capacity and a complex disposition decision
-
Kimberly McFadden
-
Suzanne E Messenger, Esq.
-
Julie Osborne Young, MSW-LICSW
Moderator will be Alvin H. Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM.
-
Annual WVNEC Business Meeting
-
Wrap-Up and Evaluation
Adjourn
Speakers
Cindy Bruzzese, MPA, MSB, HEC-C
- Position
- Executive Director and Certifified Clinical Ethicist, Vermont Ethics Network (VEN)
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Stacie D. Honaker, JD
- Position
- Risk Manager / Privacy Officer, Risk Management / Privacy Office
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Jennifer A. Johnson, Reverend, M.Div, BCC
- Position
- chaplin, Cabell Huntington Hospital
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Laurel Lyckholm, MD
- Position
- Professor, Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medical Oncology
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Kimberly McFadden
- Position
- Social Worker, Medicine
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Suzanne E. Messenger, Esq.
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Daniel Miller, PhD
- Position
- Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, Eberly College of Arts & Sciences at West Virginia University
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Alvin H. Moss, MD, FACP, FAAHPM
- Positions
- Director, Center for Health Ethics & Law
- Professor of Nephrology, Medicine
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Matthew Smith, MD, MS
- Position
- Associate Professor, Neurology
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Larri D. Terrell, BSN, RN
- Position
- Regulatory Readiness and Patient Safety Manager and a nurse consult, Cabell Hunting Hospital Ethics Committee
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Julie Osborne Young, MSW-LICSW
- Position
- Director of Social Services, HospiceCare
- Organization
- West Virginia University
Registration
The registration deadline is Friday, May 8, 2026 or until registration is full. This conference is limited to 100 participants.
Registration Information
WVNEC uses the WVU eCommerce site which uses TouchNet Marketplace to process all credit card payments for our conference registrations. Payment is required in advance. There will be no registration at the door.
Registration Instructions
On the main course website click on “Register for Event” for the symposium. Once you complete the online registration form you will be redirected to the registration payment page. WVNEC members must indicate WVNEC membership status to receive a registration discount. You will receive two confirmations, one for your registration and another once your payment for your registration has been processed.
NOTE: Registration confirmation will be sent to the attendee’s email. For group registration, the first attendee will receive the email confirmation for the group.
Cancellation policy
Written cancellations must be received prior to May 8, 2026 and will be considered on a case-by-case basis and/or prorated. No refunds will be granted after the May 8 deadline. Substitutions are welcome. Please notify us of the change.
Stonewall Resort Room Reservations
Attendees can make room reservations by visiting this website. The cutoff date to make a reservation is April 21st
Questions
Contact Linda McMillen at wvneccourses@hsc.wvu.edu or 304-293-7618.
Course Credits
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of the WVU School of Medicine and WVNEC. The WVU School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The WVU Office of CME designates this live activity for a maximum of 5.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This continuing education activity has been provided by the WVU School of Nursing for 6.6 contact hours. The WVU School of Nursing is an approved provider of continuing education by the State of West Virginia Board of Examiner for Registered Professional Nurses, Legislative Rule #19CSR11-4 under provider number 50-26086.
This course is sponsored by the Center for Health Ethics and Law, Provider Number 490095, which is a Certified Provider of continuing education credits for social workers. This program has been awarded up to 5.5 hours of continuing education credit.
This program qualifies for a total of 6.60 credits under the West Virginia Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.
Venue
Stonewall Resort
Stonewall Resort
940 Resort Dr, Roanoke, WV 26447