Dying in the Americas Conference

Dying in the Americas 2018
Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort, Henderson, NV
March 21 – 25, 2018

Final Exit Network announces Dying in the Americas 2018, a conference devoted to re-imagining the future of dying with the objective of a peaceful death for everyone. The conference will take place March 21 to March 25, 2018, in the peaceful setting of the Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa in Henderson, Nevada, in the foothills outside Las Vegas. The program is open to academics, health care professionals, physicians, nurses, geriatric social workers, Thanatologists, hospice and nursing facility personnel, palliative care specialists, insurance and government professionals, and those interested in improving the quality of the dying experience for both the patient and family.

Speakers from Canada, the U.S., and Latin America will focus on several key questions:
• What are the best practices for a peaceful death currently available in the Americas?
• How can we make sure that everyone has access to the most appropriate care?
•What improvements can be made in medical training, protocols, and best practices?

Keynote speakers:
• Internist Zubin Damania, M.D., better known as ZDoggMD, is a Stanford-trained hospitalist enlisted by one of the dotcom industry’s leading titans to re-think and reinvent public health care. ZDoggMD has created hundreds of YouTube videos attracting more than 20 million views. One of his most-shared videos is Ain’t The Way To Die, based on the Eminem and Rihanna song Love The Way You Lie. ZDoggMD’s version dramatically and unforgettably illustrates the importance of Advance Directives in an emergency medical situation.

• Caitlin Doughty, Los Angeles mortician and author, is the founder of the death acceptance collective The Order of the Good Death. Her most recent book, the New York Times bestseller From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, describes her trek around the globe to discover how other cultures care for the dead. Nearly 360,000 subscribers follow her mesmerizing, funny and eye-opening Ask A Mortician series on YouTube.

The roster also includes medical professionals who are re-thinking the dying process: Canadian activist Shanaaz Gokool, CEO of Dying with Dignity Canada, and Dr. James Downar, a Critical Care and Palliative Care Physician with the University Health Network and Sinai Health System Toronto, will describe the quiet revolution since the Canadian Supreme Court decision in Carter vs. Canada. Dr. Stefanie Green will talk about her remarkable journey from OB/GYN to her profound experience in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), now supported throughout the Canadian health care system.

Among the many other speakers are
• Law professor and bioethicist Thaddeus Pope, PhD
• UCLA professor Taimie Bryant, PhD, JD, and Robert Rivas, JD, who will speak about U.S. First Amendment rights
• Thanatologist John Abraham, a retired Episcopal priest and author of How to Have the Death You Want
• Dr. Aroop Mangalik, physician and author of Dealing with Doctors, Denial, and Death

Reduced-rate registration ends January 14, and full registration ends February 14, 2018. There will be no onsite registration. Space is limited. For more information, visit www.finalexitnetwork.org or contact Julia Hanway at finalexitnetworkcontact@gmail.com.