Greetings from organising committee IAPCON 2021

A warm welcome to the Holy land of Bihar where religions took birth, spiritual wisdom bartered, enlightenment dawned upon those who sought, the knowledge about this region remains a glorious chapter in the Indian history and geography alike. Indian Association of Palliative Care takes immense pleasure to invite you in 28th Annual Conference of IAPC, IAPCON 2021 in Patna, the capital city of Bihar. It is going to be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the 19th, 20th and 21st of March.

We look forward to welcoming you to first ever virtual conference of IAPC. While COVID pandemic prevented us from holding the Conference in person, we are excited about the opportunities of holding an innovative virtual conference and reaching out to all.

This is an exclusive research conference, the first of its kind . The theme for this conference is "Searching empathy through research". The multiple challenges in palliative care research raises the issue of how difficult it can be to apply evidence-based medicine in palliative care research. This is because of diverse patient population, the individualized aims of the treatment and the trajectory of the incurable nature of the disease. This requires a shift in thinking towards how to design and implement robust and rigorous research into palliative care that is person centred and also adds to the evidence base for palliative care practice.

Various workshops will be organised for doctors, nurses, social workers and volunteers. Everyone is welcome to attend these workshops either in the campus or link will be sent to interested participants.

Let us all gather, virtually together, to hear from the best experts of Palliative medicine across the globe to learn how interesting and challenging research can be in Palliative medicine. We invite you to an academic feast on a virtual platform and AIIMS, Patna takes the pride to host this conference. We certainly encourage all esteemed attendees to attend and engage with sessions as though you were in person. We do understand that restrictions may be imposed by your time zones, however , the programme has been designed to minimize such problems.

We hope that you enjoy the conference, and that you have a chance in future to enjoy various places in the state. Bihar is a place full of history and spiritual significance. Located in the eastern part of India, this state is known as the land of monasteries. There are many things that make this place worth visiting .It is divided by the River Ganges, which floods its fertile plains. Bihar is richly endowed with natural resources and the agrarian bounty that seem like a corollary derived from soils brimming with water. There are plenty of tourist spots in Bihar like Patna, (the capital city), Nalanda, Rajgir, Gaya, Bodh Gaya, Vaishali, etc. There is a lot to be done in field of palliative care in Bihar. This conference will be useful in spreading awareness of Palliative care services in this part of the country.

Once again, on behalf of organising committee , I am tremendously pleased and excited to welcome you all and plan to conduct a conference that will exceed your expectations.

Regards
Dr. U.K Bhadani,
Dean and HOD,
Anaesthesiology, AIIMS, Patna

Patrons
Prof. Dr. N. R. Biswas Director IGIMS, Patna	Prof Dr. P. K. Singh Director AIIMS, Patna	Shri Acharya Kishore Kunal Secretary Sri Mahavir Sthan Nyas Samiti

President IAPC	Secretary IAPC
Dr. Sushma Bhatnagar Professor & Head Department of Onco-Anaesthesia & Palliative Medicine Dr.B.R.A IRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi	Dr. Savita Butola, Commandant (Medical) CAPF's Composite Hospital, Border Security Force Academy Tekanpur, Gwalior (MP)

Organising Secretary	Treasurer
Prof. Dr. U.K. Bhadani Dean and HOD, Anaesthesiology, AIIMS, Patna	Dr. Rajnish Kumar Associate Professor, AIIMS, Patna

Scientific Secretary	Scientific Co-Secretary
Dr. Chandni Sinha Additional Professor, AIIMS, Patna	Dr. Rita Rani Senior Consultant & Palliative care Incharge MCSRC, Patna	Dr. Richa Madhawi Associate Professor, IGIMS, Patna

Workshop Coordinator	Technical Coordinator	Governing Council Member
Dr. Nishant Sahay Additional Professor, AIIMS, Patna	Dr. Abhyuday Kumar Assistant Professor, AIIMS, Patna	Dr. Rajesh Kumar Singh Professor SCI, IGIMS, Patna