P09 Experience at the Museum: Using Art to Reflect, Connect, and Flourish

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

1:00pm - 5:00pm PST

Speaker(s)

Paul L. DeSandre, DO, FAAHPM (he/him/his)

Associate Professor
Emory University
Elizabeth Gundersen, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Hospice & Palliative Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Josh Hauser, MD

Physician
Northwestern
Laura J. Morrison, MD, FAAHPM, FACP (she/her/hers)

Professor of Medicine, Associate Chief of Palliative Care
Yale Palliative Care Program
Jane delima Thomas, MD FAAHPM (she/her/hers)

Attending Physician
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Gordon J. Wood, MD MSCI FAAHPM (he/him/his)

Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Education
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Ali John J. Zarrabi, MD (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor
Emory University
CZ

Corinne Zimmermann

Disclosure(s):

Paul L. DeSandre, DO, FAAHPM: No financial relationships to disclose

Elizabeth Gundersen, MD: No financial relationships to disclose

Josh Hauser, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Laura J. Morrison, MD, FAAHPM, FACP: No financial relationships to disclose

Jane delima Thomas, MD FAAHPM: No financial relationships to disclose

Gordon J. Wood, MD MSCI FAAHPM: No relevant disclosure to display

Ali John J. Zarrabi, MD: No relevant disclosure to display

Corinne Zimmermann: No financial relationships to disclose

The art museum space offers a distinctive approach to cultivating core competencies in hospice and palliative care. In clinical practice, providers must engage in deep observation, self-reflection, and awareness of personal values and biases while navigating emotionally complex, ethically nuanced, and ambiguous situations. Immersive experiences with art in a museum setting can enrich these skills, fostering connection, insight, and renewal.

This experiential, small-group pre-conference workshop—held at the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) and the SDMA's Museum of Photographic Art—invites participants to engage with art as a medium for building professional insight, team cohesion, and emotional renewal. Through facilitated inquiry and reflection, learners will explore themes such as implicit bias, social advocacy, interprofessional collaboration, moral distress, joy, and tolerance of ambiguity. Participants will also examine how art museum-based techniques can be adapted and applied to educational and clinical settings within their own institutions to support personal and professional development and flourishing.

Learning Objectives:

Demonstrate enhanced observational and reflective skills by engaging in structured activities with visual art to explore values, biases, and emotional responses central to palliative care practice.
Apply art museum-based teaching strategies promoting interprofessional collaboration and team building in their clinical or educational settings. Integrate concepts of flourishing as a foundation for personal and team renewal.