Canadian Virtual Hospice 

The Canadian Virtual Hospice sponsors two distinct awards that recognize excellence in psychosocial oncology research, education, and clinical practice.

• Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Palliative Care 
• Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Grief 

Both awards are presented annually at the CAPO Conference.

About the Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Palliative Care

The purpose of this award is to recognize a CAPO member who submits an outstanding abstract focused on psychosocial palliative clinical practice, research, or education.

The award consists of a $500 honorarium to be used to support the recipient’s continuing education.

The successful recipient(s) will write a letter of appreciation to the Canadian Virtual Hospice, outlining how the award has been used to improve their practice or scope of research. A PDF version of the recipient’s poster must be provided within 30 days of receipt of the award for posting on the Canadian Virtual Hospice website.

Eligibility Criteria: Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Palliative Care

• The abstract must have a focus in psychosocial palliative clinical practice, research, or education. 
• The abstract cannot be sponsored by a commercial organization, nor can it promote a commercial product or advertise a specific program.
• If the abstract has multiple authors, the first submitting author will receive the award unless CAPO has been notified by the submitting author that one of the other authors will be the presenter, in which case the award will be given to the presenting author.
• The recipient must be a member of CAPO and must attend the conference to be eligible.
• The winner(s) agree to have their name(s) released as recipient(s) of the award.

About the Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Grief

The purpose of this award is to recognize a CAPO member who submits an outstanding abstract focused on grief and bereavement in the context of psychosocial palliative care clinical practice, research, or education.

This award is presented annually at the CAPO conference. The award consists of a $500 honorarium to be used to support the recipient’s continuing education, along with a recognition certificate.

The successful recipient(s) will write a letter of appreciation to the Canadian Virtual Hospice, outlining how the award has been used to improve their practice or scope of research. A PDF version of the recipient’s poster must be provided within 30 days of receipt of the award for posting on the Canadian Virtual Hospice website.

Eligibility Criteria: Canadian Virtual Hospice Award on Grief

• The abstract must have a focus in psychosocial palliative care clinical practice, research, or education, with specific relevance to grief and bereavement. Applicants may be asked to briefly describe their research or clinical area of inquiry to illustrate this connection.
• The abstract cannot be sponsored by a commercial organization, nor can it promote a commercial product or advertise a specific program.
• If the abstract has multiple authors, the first submitting author will receive the award unless CAPO has been notified by the submitting author that one of the other authors will be the presenter, in which case the award will be given to the presenting author.
• The recipient must be a member of CAPO and must attend the conference to be eligible.
• The winner(s) agree to have their name(s) released as recipient(s) of the award.

2026 Palliative Care Award winner: Emma Kearns

Perspectives on Advance Care Planning for Adolescents and Young Adults Living with Advanced Cancer in Canada: Qualitative Insights from Patients, Caregivers, and Healthcare Providers

Past Winners of the Canadian Virtual Hospice Award for Palliative Care

• 2025 – Chunlin Liu
• 2024 – Sheila Killoran 
• 2023 – Sarah Alonzi 
• 2022 – Jacob Lang
• 2020 – Sarah Rose Black and Rickinder Sethi
• 2019 – Cheryl Nekolaichuk, Covenant Health/University of Alberta
• 2018 – Sabrina Gaon, Mount Sinai Hospital
• 2017 – Marianne Arab

Past Winners of the Canadian Virtual Hospice Award in Grief Support

• 2024 - Alanna Chu – An update on the implementation of the Fear of Recurrence Therapy (FORT) group intervention in 5 cancer centers across Canada

Video of CAPO conference award winner and CAPO member Jacob Lang