2027 National Nursing Ethics Conference
Strengthening Connections: Embracing Humanity in Healthcare
Welcoming All Health Professions
Conference Overview
Ethics of Caring® brings the National Nursing Ethics Conference to honor our commitment by exploring the intersection of healthcare practice and ethical considerations in patient care. This event brings together healthcare professionals to discuss, learn, and share insights on healthcare ethics.
2027 Conference Description
Care for the person is at the heart of nursing and other health professionals’ practice and respective codes of ethics. Indeed, the need for care across the lifespan is universal to the human experience. In today’s healthcare landscape, the truth of “care for the person” may feel elusive. Systems designed to deliver care are increasingly shaped by competing, and even conflicting, demands. And yet, many threads of care are present; we can see it every day, from the bedside to the boardroom. Nevertheless, health professionals and leaders alike may struggle to preserve a shared commitment to those who are the very reason for our work – the recipients of care.1 How can we address current and long-standing issues that can deter our collaborations for the good of the patient—and move forward together, committed to an ethic of care?
The 2027 National Nursing Ethics Conference invites participants to examine the challenges facing contemporary healthcare, recognize diverse perspectives that shape our experiences, and imagine new paths forward grounded in shared values. Regardless of proximity to care at the bedside, role, real and perceived hierarchies—we share common professional ethics and commitments. Through intentional dialogue, this conference will amplify a plurality of voices, illuminate commonalities, and encourage connection and commitment to our respective work in service to humanity. We invite collaboration and engagement in imagining a (re)construction of healthcare that manifests an ethic of care through the actions of nurses and all professionals.
1ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, Provision 2: A nurse’s primary commitment is to the recipient(s) of nursing care, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.
Objectives
- Uncover systemic barriers to authentic, patient-centered, ethical care.
- Illuminate stakeholder perspectives on ethical care challenges.
- Champion an innovation that strengthens human connection and promotes ethical care environments.
- Reimagine an interdisciplinary pathway for authentic connection and caring practices.
- Analyze ethical care strategies for AI and emerging technologies.
SPEAKER SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 8, 2027
| KEYNOTE Reframing Distress: Why Moral Injury Matters | Wendy Dean, MD |
| PLENARY Beyond Principles: Navigating Conflict through Narrative and Cognitive Empathy | Erin Marturano, MBE, MSN, RN, HEC-C |
| SKILL BUILDING SESSIONS | |
| WORKSHOPS | |
| Whose Information Is It? Patient Privacy as a Human Right | S. Matthew Liao, DPhil |
| Embodying An Ethic of Care: In-the-Moment, Empowered Practices to Shift How We Engage with Workplace Challenges | Heather Fitzgerald, DBe, RN, HEC-C |
| Strengthening Connections Through Clinical Ethics: An Introduction for Healthcare Professionals | Elizabeth Kohlberg MSHCE, BSN, RN, HEC-C Brian P. Cyr MSN, RN-BC Christine M. Marmen, MEd, MSN, RN, CHSE, NPD-BC Ellen M. Robinson RN, PhD, HEC-C, FAAN |
| TBA | Paula Goodman-Crews, MSW, LCSW, HEC-C Kellie Lang, JD, RN, HEC-C |
| TBA | Sarah B. Vittone, DBe, MA, MSN, RN, HEC-C |
| TBA | Sarah Delgado, RN, DNP, ACNP Elizabeth Bertolini, MMH, RN, HEC-C, CHPN |
| CLOSING The Humanity of Care | Guerline Jozef |
Friday, April 9, 2027
| KEYNOTE AI in Healthcare: Ethical Challenges and Opportunities | S. Matthew Liao, DPhil |
| PLENARY Nursing Ethics and Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Good Care: Stronger Together | Pamela J. Grace, RN, MSN, PhD, FAAN, HEC-C |
| SKILL BUILDING SESSIONS | |
| WORKSHOPS | |
| Welcoming Conflict to Mitigate Moral Injury | Wendy Dean, MD |
| Coming to Know the Experiences of Immigrant Persons | Guerline Jozef |
| Mapping the Break: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Relational Risk | Nneka O. Sederstrom, PhD, MPH, MA, FCCP, FCCM |
| TBA | Aimee Milliken, PhD, RN, HEC-C |
| TBA | Kara Curry, MA, RN, HEC-C |
| Trust, Health, and Care | Kellie Lang, JD, RN, HEC-C |
| How to Write Abstracts for Conference Presentations: Connect and Share Your Work | Sarah Delgado, RN, DNP, ACNP |
| CLOSING Designed to Heal: Empathy as Infrastructure | Nneka O. Sederstrom, PhD, MPH, MA, FCCP, FCCM |
Breakfast, lunch, and refreshments will be served each day. There will be a reception after the closing on Day 1. Award recipients of the ANA DAISY Awards® for Ethics in Nursing Practice and Leadership and the Ethics of Caring National Leadership Award will be honored during the National Nursing Ethics Conference.
Join us at the Ethics of Caring National Nursing Ethics Conference to explore the latest in healthcare ethics, enhance your professional development, and improve patient care.