Stefanie Green Physician and pioneer in medically assisted dying (MAiD)

• Assisted Dying: An Overview

In this ever-evolving overview, Dr Green- a pioneer in the practice of assisted dying- will update and contextualize the topic both globally and locally. She will briefly review the history of how assisted dying was legalized, who is eligible for this care, the processes involved, the data showing what is actually occurring, and comment on lessons learned to date. Where there is special interest, she can highlight concerns such as access to palliative care, assisted dying in dementia patients, or when a mental health disorder is present. As is her trademark, Dr. Green will not shy away from using anonymized examples from her practice or exploring what it feels like to administer the medications that will end a person’s life.

• Assisted Dying: Canada vs the US and lessons learned

This popular presentation for American audiences highlights the similarities and differences between assisted dying in Canada and the U.S. Dr. Green’s extensive knowledge of the medical and legal criteria for assisted dying allows her to compare and contrast the components of assisted dying in these neighbouring countries and to highlight the practical implications of a few significant differences. Dr Green will draw upon her myriad of professional experiences to spotlight the clinical lessons learned, but also to relay what it feels like to administer the medications that will end a person’s life.

• What do I do?

Many would argue that a doctor’s role is to heal, to save lives, or extend it as long as possible. Dr. Green sees a clinicians primary purpose as one of helping people. In this personal reflection (30 min), Dr. Green explores the most authentic reasons she does this work-she has the skillset, she has society’s permission-and why she believes she is well-suited to the task

• MAID and Dementia

As a leader in clinical experience with assisted dying, Dr. Green first contemplated the complexity of providing MAiD to people with dementia in 2017. It wasn’t until 2018 that she followed through and was able to assist someone with dementia to die. Using a case-based example, this presentation outlines the medical and legal criteria that make this care possible (in Canada). Dr Green will outline one approach to providing this care and update her audience with details about waivers of final consent (Canada) and how they may (and may not) be used as a tool for people with dementia seeking an assisted death.

 

Especially Relevant to Canadian Audiences: 

• Legal Updates in MAiD

Canadian law on medical assistance in dying first came into effect in 2016 but was amended in March 2021. Dr Green will review the recent legal changes and their implications for patients and practice in this 45 minute overview. Highlights will review new possibilities of providing advanced consent for MAiD, implications of the removal of the requirement to have a reasonably foreseeable death, the altered safeguards required to be met on the two new pathways (tracks) to accessing MAiD in Canada, and provide an update on the implications for those whose sole underlying illness is a mental health disorder.

• Looking down the road: What’s to come? 

When legislation passed in Canada in 2016 to regulate medical assistance in dying under certain circumstances, the government put aside three contentious topics for further discussion and debate. That discussion has arrived. Hear from Dr Stefanie Green, one of Canada’s leading practitioners of MAiD about the issues of (i) mature minors accessing MAiD; (ii) the possibility of advanced requests for MAID; (iii) and the situation when a mental health disorder is the sole underlying illness in one’s application for an assisted death. Should these ever be allowed?