Tuesday, September 8, 2026, 4 to 5 p.m. EDT (check your timezone here)
Interview by Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov
Join us for this FREE webinar where we celebrate one of the pioneers of psycho-social oncology, Dr. William Breitbart. In addition to his practice changing work in Clinical Research, Leadership and Advocacy, Dr. Breitbart has made many outstanding contributions in Clinical and Research Teaching, Training, and Mentorship in psycho-oncology.
Come learn about his key achievements, amazing accomplishments, and how he has inspired thousands of practitioners and patient advocates around the World!
What can you expect to learn:
- Lessons learned that you can apply to your own practice
- What has guided his decisions and the outcomes
- What inspires him
- How you can become a leader in the field
- What he sees next for psycho-social oncology
- Existential issues
- How he plans to recognize leaders in 2027 and beyond
About Dr. William S. Breitbart MD
Jimmie C Holland Chair in Psychiatric Oncology
Immediate Past Chairman and Attending Psychiatrist
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
William S. Breitbart, MD, is an American psychiatrist who is a pioneer in in the fields of Psychosomatic Medicine, Psycho-oncology, and Palliative Care. He is the Jimmie C Holland Chair in Psychiatric Oncology, and the Immediate Past Chairman, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City, where he has worked for 42 years.He is a Professor of Psychiatry and Vice Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. He was President of the Academy of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry(ACLP)and has been the founding editor-in-chief of the international Cambridge University Press Journal Palliative and Supportive Care, for the past 25 years. He is an Attending Psychiatrist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, the Supportive Care Service of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Breitbart was a founding board member of the American Psycho-Oncology Society (APOS) and the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS).Dr Breitbart has served as President of the ACLP and has served s President of IPOS. He has received the Hackett Lifetime Achievement Award and Research Award from the ACLP. He received the Jimmie C Holland Award for Lifetime Achievement from APOS. IPOS has recognized Dr Breitbart with the Arthur Sutherland Award as well as the Jimmie C Holland Pioneer Award. Dr. Breitbart has edited 16 textbooks, and has published over 500 peer -reviewed papers, chapters, reviews, essays and poems. Dr Breitbart has had continuous National Institute of Health Funding since 1989. His areas of research have included delirium, pain, fatigue, desire for death in cancer and AIDS. He has studied the relationship between depression and Inflammation in pancreas cancer patients. Most recently, Dr Breitbart’s research has focused on the development and dissemination of Meaning Centered Psychotherapy in Advanced Cancer Patients (MCP) . MCP has been translated into 12 languages and has been adapted for the treatment of Grief, Caregivers, Cancer Survivors, Hospice Care, and other populations. Dr Breitbart has been Director of the MSK Psychotherapy Laboratory for 25 years. Dr Breitbart served as the Fellowship Training Program Director in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences from 1990- 2005, and as Co- PI of the Department’s NCI T32 Post-doctoral research training grant for 30 years. In these roles and through direct clinical and research supervision, Dr. Breitbart has mentored over 200 Clinical Fellows, 100 research fellows, 50 faculty members and International Visiting Fellows and Observers. In a span of 20 years, Dr Breitbart has also trained over 2,000 clinicians around the US and internationally in psycho-oncology, pain, and MCP through two NCI funded R25 grants ( The Network Project; and the Meaning Centered Psychotherapy Training Program).
About Dr. Harvey Chochinov OC OM MD PhD FRCPC FRSC
Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba
Senior Scientist, CancerCare Manitoba Research Institute
Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov is an internationally recognized psychiatrist, palliative care researcher, and Distinguished Professor at the University of Manitoba whose work has transformed the understanding of dignity, suffering, and personhood in serious illness and end-of-life care. Over more than three decades, his scholarship has helped establish the conceptual foundation for contemporary psychosocial palliative care and influenced clinical practice, public policy, and professional education worldwide. He developed the Model of Dignity in the Terminally Ill and created Dignity Therapy, now one of the most widely implemented psychosocial interventions in palliative care internationally. His research on existential distress, desire for death, hope, meaning, and demoralization has reshaped how clinicians understand suffering at the end of life. He is the co-founder of the Canadian Virtual Hospice; an influential mentor and research leader, who has trained scholars and clinicians who now lead palliative care programs internationally. His contributions have been recognized through numerous honors, including appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada and induction into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame.
REGISTRATION:
Special Instructions:
- This webinar will be recorded and may be made available later.
- Access information will be included in your registration confirmation.
