Online Contemplative Care Symposium

Building A Community of Care in Palliative and End-of-Life Care

The COVID crisis has brought unprecedented stress to an already challenged healthcare environment. How can we support a shift in the culture of care toward relationship and resilience and away from the debilitating, transactional orientation that pervades healthcare facilities.


Over two hundred physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors, and caregivers of all backgrounds gathered at the fourth national Contemplative Care Symposium, co-sponsored by New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and The Garrison Institute.

This groundbreaking event gave voice to leading researchers, physicians, spiritual care providers and patient advocates who are transforming caregiving, and shared their insights on how to provide the most effective and compassionate palliative and end-of-life care possible.

We are now offering a select number of keynote speeches during that sold-out event and past Symposiums and making them available online with unlimited lifetime access to view anytime and at your own pace.

Watch talks by end-of-life care advocates and luminaries such as Dr. BJ Miller (TED speaker and Asst. Professor of Clinical Medicine UCSF), Dr. Ira Byock (physician, author, and advocate for palliative care), Frank Ostaseski (Zen Hospice pioneer and Founder and Director of the Metta Institute), Dr. Diane Meier (MacArthur "Genius Award" winner and Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care), Sebene Selassie (author, meditation teacher and cancer survivor), Dr. Rita Charon (Founder and Executive Director of the Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University), Anyen Rinpoche (Tibetan master, Author of Living and Dying With Confidence), Judy Lief (former Dean of Naropa University, author and senior teacher in the lineage of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche), and Dr. Mitchell Levy (specialist in Intensive Care Medicine and a Professor of Medicine at Brown University School of Medicine).



As a bonus, you’ll have access to “Extraordinary Measures”, a moving and powerful one-man play written by Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues) and performed by the Academy-award winning screenwriter and actor James Lecesne.

If you are a professional working in palliative and hospice care, or providing care on a personal or volunteer basis, don’t miss this chance to learn from the pioneers revolutionizing caregiving and join the growing movement to transform end-of-life care.

Each purchase goes to support the important non-profit direct care and educational work of New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care and The Garrison Institute.



Feedback for the Online Contemplative Care Symposium:

L. Liane, This is the most phenomenal course of training I've participated in so far for learning how to be a companion to the dying. I highly recommend it.

A. Dassler, Desperately needed info in all areas of medicine. I work in a NICU; this should be part of a mandatory education. Death is especially challenging when life should be beginning!

L. Shaul, Thank you!! I was not aware of this and it is exactly what I am going to school for and what I want to do!!
T. Hauze, Thank you for creating this opportunity for this important work to grow in awareness and consciousness!
R. McManus, Thank you for this. Working as a NP in an oncology ICU... this is exactly what I needed.

N. McKissock, Wonderful. Important.

J. Whitlock, It was worth every penny!!!

Mary D, I just completed the online contemplative care symposium. Thank you so much for offering this. I am a medical provider with incurable stage IV breast cancer (had to retire a little sooner than planned). I practice contemplation, meditation from the Christian tradition and so appreciate this offering.

Jane W, I am an End of Life Doula and I will carry these ideas with me as my essential tools. Thank you.


Course Curriculum


  Keynote Presentations
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Symposium Workshops
Available in days
days after you enroll
  Special Performances
Available in days
days after you enroll

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact us in the first 30 days and we will give you a full refund.

Get started now!