The Deane K. Corliss Palliative and Supportive Care Lecture Series is made possible through a gift by Deane Corliss and the Corliss family. Deane was an attorney and health policy expert whose background in nursing gave her a special understanding of our healthcare system and the need to improve the care of individuals with serious illness. She was a strong proponent of inter-professional, holistic care that included an array of disciplines, including nutrition and counseling, in addition to nursing, medicine, and social work. She was a member of the UAB Center for Palliative Care Community Advisory Board and a passionate advocate for policy reform to improve patient self-determination of treatment goals and access to palliative care.  

Deane remained committed to improving palliative care even as her own cancer became advanced. Her gift, perpetuated by her family, is intended to improve the care of seriously ill patients by advancing knowledge of the role of supportive and palliative care for patients and families facing serious illness.  

We are grateful for the support of Deane’s family including Dr. David Corliss.

The Corliss Lectures have been presented by:   

2024 Drs. Rodney Tucker, Marie Bakitas, Ronit Elk, Nick Odom, and Sylvia Huang
         State of the Science in Palliative Care
2023 Dr. Stacy Fischer
         Psilocybin Assisted Therapy for Anxiety, Depression, and Existential Distress in Advanced Cancer
2022 Dr. Marie-Carmelle Elie
         Communication Strategies: Leveraging the Landscape for Vulnerable Patients
2021 Dr. Dana Lustbader
         Telehealth for Advance Illness Care
2020 Dr. Michael Rabow
         Then and Now: Grief in the time of COVID
2019 Dr. Monica Baskin
         Cultural Considerations for Palliative Care
2018 Martha Twaddle, MD
         The Intersection Between Palliative Care, Community and Population Health
2017 Anthony L. Black, MD
         What Does Every Physician Need to Know About Communication with Patients Who Are Seriously Ill?
2016  Dr. Christine Ritchie 
          Palliative Care and Courage: Lessons from Patients, Families, Colleagues, and Systems 
2015  Dr. Christina Puchalski 
          The Essential Role of Spirituality in Palliative Care: A Whole-Person Model of Care    
2014  Dr. Bob Arnold
          Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting a Different Result: Conflicts
          Over Goals of Care     
2013  Dr. Colin Campbell
          Nutrition as a Mainline (Not Alternative) Medical Specialty