Empathy and Compassion Related Conferences

Here are all the conferences I've found related to empathy and compassion.  Let me know of any others, past or upcoming. You can also Search AllConferences.com for other conferences. Mind & LIfe Institute also holds many conferences.

Upcoming

Past Empathy Conferences
     2003
     2005
     2006
     2007
     2008
     2009
     2010
     2011

Ongoing:

2011-11-01 to  2012-10-02 - Conference on: How Can We  Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion?
		We are now planning, organizing and launching a one year online conference on the question of, 'How Can We Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion?'   This yearlong conference consists of an ongoing series of online Panel Discussions with empathy and compassion experts from all fields and walks of life. The panels take place using Skype group video conferencing and are recorded and placed on Youtube for viewing at any time.

Upcoming
=================================
 

2012

2012-02-(10-11) Ashoka U Exchange
Empathy in Education - Arizona State University - Tempe, Arizona.

2012-03-(1-2)  HAPPINESS & ITS CAUSES 2012, Sydney, Australia

2012-03-23 - The Science of a Meaningful Life: Self-Compassion and Emotional Resilience

March 23, 2012, 9 am-4:30 pm
International House, UC Berkeley Campus
"This day-long seminar will offer strategies for cultivating self-compassion and reducing stress in yourself and others. It will be led by Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the study of self-compassion. Will be webcast live! Self-compassion is a skill that can be learned by anyone. It involves generating feelings of kindness and care toward ourselves as imperfect human beings, and learning to be present with greater ease during life’s inevitable struggles. "

2012-04-26-29 - International Symposia for Contemplate Studies, Denver, CO
The International Symposia for Contemplative Studies grew out of discussion among contemplative research center and laboratory directors, at a meeting convened by the Mind & Life Institute in the Summer of 2010.

2012-04-(13-15)  The Power of Empathic Relationship
Dr. Peter Breggin's Second Annual Empathic Therapy Conference for International Counselors, Social Workers, Psychiatrists, Psychologists & Educators. The theme of  the Power of Empathic Relationship relates both to individual growth and life improvement as well as specifically addressing ways that counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, teachers, and others can be their very best professionally with their clients, patients and students.

2012-04-(18-19) Dali Lama - Compassion without Boarders
San Diego State University, UC San Diego, and the University of San Diego are honored to host His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama’s first visit to America’s finest city. The two-day symposium will provide a thought-provoking forum to inspire new discoveries and expand our understanding of humanity. His Holiness will share his views on upholding ethics, practicing forgiveness and tolerance, and coping with the challenges found in today’s society.
'The Global Impact of Climate'.
'Cultivating Peace and Justice'.
"Upholding Universal Ethics and Compassion in Challenging Times'.
 

2012-05-(20-22) Patient Experience Empathy/ Innovation Summit -  Cleveland Clinic
Transforming Healthcare through Empathy and Innovation
The Patient Experience: Empathy and Innovation Summit is a three-day, multidisciplinary conference devoted to exploring patient experience as a key differentiator essential to the future of healthcare delivery. Click here to see the agenda from the May 22-24, 2011 Summit.
The Summit will feature expert panel discussions about the national patient experience movement, providing participants from all disciplines the opportunity to identify shared challenges and inspire innovative solutions to help transform the patient experience and elevate customer satisfaction as a competitive differentiator.

2012-08-(16-18)  What is empathy and what do we need it for?
CFP, Conference, Stockholm, Södertörn University, Stockholm
Centre for Studies in Practical Knowledge
August 16-18, 2012 Keynote speakers:

• Lou Agosta, University of Chicago;

• Thomas Fuchs, University of Heidelberg;

• Jodi Halpern, University of California Berkeley;

• Matthew Ratcliffe, Durham University;

• Jan Slaby, Freie Universität Berlin

"The last ten years we have witnessed an exploding interest in the phenomenon of empathy. The wave of empathy studies is psychology, philosophy, psychiatry and other disciplines is linked to a parallel theoretical interest in the phenomena of feeling, selfhood, inter-subjectivity and morality, but also to practical attempts to understand and improve meetings between workers and clients in different professions, such as health care professions, teaching professions, psychotherapy or social work. To be empathic is increasingly viewed as a must for any person working in cooperation with and/or helping other people, although, as is also pointed out, the empathy must be professional in character to not produce destructive intimacy or burn out."

2012-11-(22-24) The Empathy and Compassion in Society Conference & Youth Gathering
will take place on 22-24th November 2012 in London, UK.
Speakers will include internationally acclaimed Paul Ekman, Tania Singer, Mary Gordon, James Doty and Paul Gilbert. The first day is a youth gathering for secondary schools.
The website will be online in January 2012.

Past Empathy Conferences
=================================

2003
 

2003-10-(16-18)  - The Promise Of Empathy
University of Iowa
"Empathy has recently emerged as a topic of critical importance: in the social sciences and
in popular political discourse we wonder about the promise of empathy in our efforts to
overcome differences of race, religion, or national culture; in the humanities and fine arts we
hope to facilitate empathy by providing an imaginative reconstruction of our own or someone
else's experience; in the natural sciences of evolutionary biology and neurophysiology we are
eager to ground empathy in human nature."

2005
 

2005-01-15 - International Conference on Neuroesthetics
Empathy in the Brain and in Art - UC Berkeley
"Empathy, one of the most extraordinary feats of the human brain, plays a major role in social and artistic communication. We empathize with others and often respond with emotion to their condition. Artists, photographers, actors and film directors use our capacity to empathize to give their works heightened emotional appeal. But what are the neurological foundations of empathy, and on what specialized brain cells and systems does it depend?" Speakers:

• Vittorio Gallese

• Ray Dolan

• Leonard Pitt

• Aina Puce

• Judy Dater

• Alice O'Toole

• Frans De Waal

• Paul Ekman

2005-10-(25-27) Symposium on Empathy and fairness, held at the Novartis Foundation, London,
 Empathy is the process that allows us to share the feelings and emotions of others, in the absence of any direct emotional stimulation to the self. Humans can feel empathy for other people in a wide array of contexts: for basic emotions and sensation such as anger, fear, sadness, joy, pain and lust as well as for more complex emotions such as guilt, embarrassment and love. It has been proposed that, for most people, empathy is the process that prevents us doing harm to others. This symposium is based on a proposal made by Chris Frith, Uta Frith, Tania Singer and Sarah-Jayne Blakemore

• Chris Frith - Introduction

• Vittorio Gallese - Embodied simulation: from mirror neuron systems to interpersonal relations

• Tania Singer - The neuronal basis of empathy and fairness

• Marc Hauser - What’s fair? The unconscious calculus of our moral faculty

• Josep Call and Keith Jensen - Chimpanzees may recognize motives and goals, but may not reckon on them

• Nancy Eisenberg - Empathy-related responding and prosocial behaviour

• Paul A. M. Van Lange, Marcello Gallucci, Johan C. Karremans, Anthon
  Klapwijk and Chris Reinders Folmer A social interaction analysis of empathy and fairness

• Raymond A. Mar and C. Neil Macrae Triggering the intentional stance

• R. James R. Blair Dissociable systems for empathy

• Ralph Adolphs Looking at other people: mechanisms for social perception revealed in subjects with focal amygdala damage

• Jonathan Wolff Models of distributive justice

• Frédérique de Vignemont When do we empathize?

• Robert Frank Cooperation through moral commitment

2005-11-05 - Stanford School of Medicine Presents the 14th Dalai Lama

Dalai Lama and a group of scientists and Buddhist scholars in dialogue. Talking about spiritual and scientific explorations of human experience in the areas of craving, suffering and choice.
 

		Video: Morning Session : Craving and Choice (1:55)    Participants: Dr. Carl Bielefeldt , Professor of Religious Studies, Stanford University Dr. Paul Ekman , Professor of Psychlogy, Department of Psychiatry, University of California , San Francisco Dr. Howard Fields , Professor of Neurology, Physiology, and Psychiatry and Director, Wheeler Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction, University of California, San Francisco Philippe Goldin, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Psychology, Stanford University Dr. Janet Gyatso , Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies, Harvard Divinity School Dr. Anne C. Klein , Professor of Religious Studies, Rice University
		Video:  Afternoon Session : Suffering and Choice  (2:31) Dr. Brian Knutson , Assistant Professor of Psychology, Stanford University Dr. Helen Mayberg, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Emory University Dr. William Newsome , Professor of Neurobiology, Stanford University Dr. Mathieu Ricard, Buddhist scholar and monk, French translator for His Holiness Dr. David Spiegel , The Jack, Lulu and Sam Willson Professor in Medicine, Stanford University Ven. Karma Lekshe Tsomo , Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, University of San Diego Dr. Alan Wallace , Founder & President, Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies Brian Wandell , Isaac and Madeline Stein Family Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

   
2005  Greater Good Science Center - Symposium on Empathy
UC Berkeley - Their magazine has a section on empathy.
" Like many pieces of advice, the age-old adages to "put yourself in someone else's shoes" or "see the world from someone else's perspective" can sound painfully naïve. Indeed, they seem to go against human nature, serving as moralistic attempts to rein in our tendencies toward self-interest. Can we truly understand what other people are thinking or feeling—and if so, how? Those are the questions at the heart of four essays in this issue of Greater Good, which homes in on the human capacity for empathy."

• The Evolution of Empathy

• A Feeling for Fiction 

• Feeling Like Partners 

2006
 

2006-01-00 - Empathy and the Greater Good
 A Greater Good Science Center event on the science and practice of empathy, featuring Arlie Hochschild, Phil & Carolyn Cowan, Lyssa Mudd, and Jason Marsh. Introductions by Deirdre English and Dacher Keltner.

• Audio is a bit messed up

• About Greater Good Center; compassion, forgiveness, science, etc,

• Times of stress due to lack of resources

• Studies of family stress

• Empathy is a trait - some can be more empathic - depends on the conditions

• Stress, depression, more difficult to be empathic

• Some have poor examples from family examples

• How work is divided

• Stress outside of family and in society

• Childhood development is important

• Social Circumstances

• Politicians manipulate social stresses

  • why do people agree with this?

  • why do people consent?

  • contraction of the boundaries of empathy

• Bad news can make us more empathic sometimes

• What can people do?

  • we don't quite know what empathy is?

• In-group and out-groups.

• Definition of empathy -

  • being able to feel the feelings of another

  • I feel your pain and doing something consistently about it.

• How can we arrange life to facilitate empathy in our family

• How to learn family empathy skills and then on to the political level

• There are a lot of levels

• Need to start in the formative years

• A fake morality is being used - scapegoating

• Q and A

  • Many demands on your empathy?

    • To great of expectations for relationships

    • mass media is creating a market of love

    • families more isolated

  • Empathy and zero sum?

    • preoccupied with your own stress.

    • are constrained

  • Doctors and empathy?

  • A culture of humiliation?

  • Stress and its negative empathy effects?

  • Importance of nurture and the long term positive effects

2006-06-(22-23) - An International Interdisciplinary Conference
  California State University, Fullerton
The goal of this international interdisciplinary conference is to provide a forum for interdisciplinary scholarly collaboration addressing the following questions regarding empathy:

• What kind of process is empathy?,

• How does empathy differ from related psychological processes?

• What role does empathy play in our engagement with fiction?

• How do we determine whether or not attempts to empathize are successful?

• What role does empathy play in social and moral life?

• Presenters

  • Derek Matravers - Empathy and Knowledge

  • Heather Battaly - Empathy: Virtue or Skill?

  • Noel Carroll - Solidarity

  • Amy Coplan - Understanding Empathy: Its Features and Effects

  • Peter Goldie -  Anti-empathy

  • Martin L. Hoffman -  Empathy, Justice, and the Law

  • Jesse Prinz - Is Empathy Necessary for Morality?

  • Murray Smith - Five Problems for Empathy

  • Kendall Walton - In Alien Shoes

  • Stephen Davies - Infectious Music: Music-Listener Emotional Contagion

  • Paul L. Harris - The Intersection of Empathy and Testimony in Child Development

  • Gregory Currie - Empathy, Imitation and Joint Attention

  • E. Ann Kaplan -  Vicarious Trauma or 'Empty' Empathy?--Images of Catastrophe in the Public Sphere

2006-2009 - Autonomy Singularity Creativity (ASC) Conference - National Humanities Center
  "A small but growing number of philosophers, literary scholars, and other humanistic thinkers has turned to the work of computational scientists, primatologists, cognitive scientists, biologists, neuroscientists, and others in their attempts to gain a contemporary understanding of human attributes that have traditionally been described in abstract, philosophical, or spiritual terms."
 

2007

2007-04-12 - Empathy and Ethics in Film and Literature
  The theme may be interpreted broadly, from the portrayal of empathy and/or ethics in literature and film to the way these works encourage an empathetic reaction in readers or viewers.
 

2008
 

2008-03-27 - Drivers of Our Shifting Culture  
EMPATHY AND ETHICS: DRIVERS OF OUR SHIFTING CULTURE…
 A Panel Discussion on Empathy and Ethics (audio)
  Bill Drayton, Jill Vialet, Mary Gordon, Keith Hammonds, Kirk Hanson
"Technology has increased the flow of information and made our decision-making more transparent. In this panel discussion on empathy and ethics, Bill Drayton, Mary Gordon, Keith Hammonds, Kirk Hanson and Jill Vialet consider how empathetic ethics has to begin with individuals and can only then move into the organizations we lead and the societies we serve."
 

2008-04-15 - Seeds of Compassion Gathering
Seedsofcompassion.org, Seattle WA
"Anchored by the deep wisdom of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, this community–focused event celebrated and explored the relationships, programs and tools that nurture and empower children, families and communities to be compassionate members of society. Each of the five days provided parents, educators, business and community leaders with an opportunity to better understand the real benefits of compassion, and concrete steps on how to bring compassion into their lives."

2009

2009-09-30 - How the social brain experiences empathy
 Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago
"A one-day conference in Downtown Chicago
The Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience will be hosting a one-day conference led by Dr. Jean Decety entitled, "How the social brain experiences empathy."  Presentations will provide up-to-date knowledge on empathy ranging from brain circuits to patient-physician relationships, and will emphasize how many academic areas and applications, such as clinical psychology, education, psychotherapies, and others, can benefit from this new knowledge about the social brain. The conference will showcase some of the most important researchers in empathy today."

2009-10-1 - Varieties of Empathy in Science, Art and Culture
"Varieties of Empathy in Science, Art, and Culture (VOE), a workshop held at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies on 10-12 October, 2009, brought together twenty-two scholars, scientists, and artists from nine disciplines, working in six different countries, to consider the recent research into empathy, mirror neurons, autism and related phenomena and several historical antecedents and social implications of this research."

• Einfühlung and its Aesthetic Origins

• Einfühlung/Empathy in Psychology, Phenomenology and Psychoanalysis

• “Translating Empathy in the Psychological Laboratory”

• Empathy & Hermeneutics in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences

• Empathy and Evolution

• Mirror Neurons & Empathy in Cognitive Neuroscience

• Empathy and its Limits: Transmission of Affect at Cultural Boundaries

• Empathy and Aesthetics in Film and Literature

• etc.
   

2009-10-09 - Mind Life Institute - XIX: Educating World Citizens

Session Three: Compassion and Empathy Compassion and empathy are fundamental to moral and character development and to any vision of a kinder, more just, and more caring society and world.

• Speaker: Linda Lantieri, M.A.

• Panelists:

• HH Dalai Lama

• Peter Benson, Ph.D.

• Martin Brokenleg, Ph.D.

• Nancy Eisenberg, Ph.D.

• Matthieu Ricard, Ph.D.

• Mark Greenberg, Ph.D.

• Thupten Jinpa, Ph.D.

2009-10-01 - Living with Empathy

A research project launch - empathy and the use of metaphor in social relations. Starting from the reality of empathy in post-conflict reconciliation:    10:30 am Session 1    12:00 pm Session 2

2009-11-(12-15) - "Engaging The Other:" The Power of Compassion
  San Mateo, CA  - Common Bond Institute
Advancing the consciousness of peace and healing by raising the capacity of the individual in society to compassionately transform conflict in their daily lives. Interviews of some participants.

2009-11-13 - 92Y Wonderplay Early Childhood Learning
at the 92nd Street Y  in New York City. The theme of the conference was Building Empathy and Resilience: The Role of the Early Educator.  Article: Empathy and What It Teaches Us
 

2009-03-04 - Compassion Definitions Conference at Stanford University
CCARE proposes that its inaugural conference focus on the challenges posed by the diverse perspectives of the different disciplines including philosophy, neuroscience, neuroeconomics, psychology and contemplative traditions that are engaged in the study of compassion and altruistic behavior.
 

2010

2010-04-11 - Altruism and Compassion in Economic Systems:  A Dialogue at the Interface of Economics, Neuroscience and Contemplative Sciences Zurich, Switzerland. By Mind and Life.
     

• Compassion, Empathy, Altruism and Pro-social Behavior

• Altruism: Evolutionary Origins and Modern Expressions

• Economic Research on Altruistic/Pro-social Behavior

• Introducing Prosociality into Economic Systems

• Reflections, Integration and Future Directions for Research and Policy

2010-04-22- Kinesthetic Empathy: Concepts and Contexts
"This peer-reviewed conference will be held on 22 and 23 April 2010 and will bring together researchers and practitioners in fields including neuroscience, dance, film, music, and contemporary embodied practices, to explore the nature and role of kinesthetic empathy. The conference aimed to provide a focus for the growing body of research and the increasing number of scholars and practitioners who are engaging with kinesthesia, empathy and kinesthetic empathy as pivotal concepts across different disciplines and media. This impetus  is connected with current concern with ‘affect’ as an object of enquiry, interrogation of notions of presence, embodiment and the senses, re-examination of phenomenology, and widespread interest in neuroscientific investigation (notably in the 'mirror neuron' system)."   

 

			Program - All Videos -
			Christian Keysers PART 1 - From Mirror Neurons to Kinesthetic Empathy: Keynote PART 2: From Mirror Neurons to Kinesthetic Empathy has video of monkey reacting with motor neurons to his grasping and to human grasping use test with MRIs to see if humans have the same reaction. motor neurons test with sounds, motion, vision, with human and animals motor neurons is a very fast process the brain process of empathy etc
			Glenna Batson The Embodied Brain – Facilitating Movement Learning through Mirror Neurons
			Susan Foster Dancing with the 'Mind's Muscles': A Brief History of Kinesthesia and Empathy
			Brian Knoth Embodied Mediation: Interactive Media Environments and the Audience Experience of Kinesthetic Empathy
			Marianne Eberhard-Kaechele Modalities of Kinesthetic Empathy in Dance Therapy
			Bonnie Meekums Mirroring and Embodied Subjectivity
			Gayle Milburn Empathy and Presence in the Performance of ‘ Open’ Improvisational Dance
			Tal-Chen Rabinowitch, Ian Cross and Pamela Burnard Musical Group Interaction and empathy - a mutual cognitive pathway?
			etc

2010-04-24 - Compassionate Seattle 
The Compassionate Action Network, Seeds of Compassion and the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education create an event on compassion . Event flyer in pdf

2009-2010 - Interdisciplinary Seminar on Empathy  - Participants
Indiana University invites applications for a post-doctoral residential fellow on the topic of empathy and virtue as part of a research team exploring, “Virtuous Empathy: Scientific and Humanistic Perspectives,”


2010-07-16 - 2010 - Empathy and Innovation Summit
With a capacity crowd of physicians, hospital executives, nurses and other healthcare professionals, the conference focused on innovations to improve the clinical, physical and emotional experience of patients.

2010-07-(08-09) - Exploring The Language of Mental Life -Telluride, CO

			The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University has announced a conference on the Language of Mental Life scheduled for July 7-9, 2010 during which western scientists will meet with Buddhist scholars to create a lexicon for better understanding the key terms of mental life.
			Erika Rosenberg Interview on empathy and compassion

Dalai Lama North America Visit
     (I'll post videos as they become public)

2010-10-(14-15)  - Stanford, CA  The Centrality of Compassion in Human Life and Society
at Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford, CA

The Dalai Lama will be at Stanford for two days in October, returning to the university to  discuss compassion, altruism and what it means to lead a meaningful life. 
       15th - Session Schedule: Scientific Explorations of Compassion and Altruism

2010-10-(22-24) -Toronto Visit
    Friday, October 22, 2010 - Rogers Centre
         * Public Talk, “Human Approaches to World Peace”
   Saturday, October 23, 2010 - Invitation Only with His Holiness
         * Grand Opening Ceremony of the Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre
   Sunday, October 24, 2010 - Tibetan Canadian Cultural Centre
         * Long Life Empowerment and Long Life Ceremony
         * Buddhist Teaching, “Eight Verses of Training the Mind”

2010-10-08  - Pain and Empathy: 1st International Symposium  (in French)
Facebook.com/ethicsofempathycom
First international symposium on the theme of "PAIN" and "Empathy". This interdisciplinary dialogue open to all is organized by ED3C. During the two-day conference will succeed philosophers, scientists, sociologists, with whom you can discuss

2010-10-(29-31) - The Mindful Lawyer: Practices & Prospects for Law School, Bench, and Bar
ContemplativeMind.org
A remarkable gathering will take place at Berkeley’s law school, where 150 lawyers, professors, judges, and law students will come together to review the progress we’ve made. Over the ensuing weekend, they’ll meditate together and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing this movement and the legal profession as a whole. University of California at Berkeley School of Law, Contact Doug Chermak, Conference Coordinator and Law Program Director,  mindfullawyerconference@gmail.com or 510-821-3474.

2010-11-05 -  Building Compassion, Trust, and Happiness, (Seattle, WA)
Greater Good Science Center - Seminar

2010-11-(19–21) - Mind & LIfe XXII:  New Delhi, India
Contemplative Science: The Scientific Investigation of the Effects of Contemplative Practices on Human Biology and Behavior

2010-11-18 -  Creating a Compassionate World
Celebrating the One-Year Anniversary of the Charter for Compassion.
In partnership with the Fetzer Institute, Co-Hosted by the United Nations Office for Partnerships
Program Schedule

• Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell: "This IS a compassionate world!"

• Dr. Fred Luskin: Talks About Having Compassion For Our Vulnerability

• Chris Anderson: Our Compassion Experiment

• Krista's Final; Definition of Compassion

• Chade-Meng Tan: Compassion at Google

• Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf: on Compassion

• Karen Armstrong: Charter for Compassion

• Salman Ahmad: Wraps Up The TEDPrize@UN Event

• Chris Anderson: Concludes

2010-11-(19-21) - 5th Annual International Conference - Engaging The Other: Power of Compassion
Sonoma State University, Sonoma , California USA

At a time when polarization is the true culprit, a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary conference addressing fear-based belief systems, negative stereotypes, polarization, enemy images, scapegoating, and artificial barriers of distrust that divide us.

Dec 03, 2010 - Seed of Compassion - Roots of Empathy (Berkeley, CA)
Greater Good Science Center - Seminar,  UC Berkeley - Dacher Keltner, Mary Gordon
Day long seminar will offer strategies for cultivating compassion, empathy, and resilience in yourself and others.
 

		Your quest for an empathic culture, or a Culture of Empathy as you call it, I think is a great quest. I don't think it's ever to late to develop empathy. It starts so naturally... I think we should do everything that we can to cultivate empathy and we can do it at every level. So why would we not.
Mary Gordon founder of 'Roots of Empathy' talks about the Importance of Empathy

2011

2011-03-(26-24) - The Master Mediator Institute presents
 Wired for Empathy: Understanding Human Connection, Trust and Effective Decision Making
 

2011-03-(08-10) - Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, Education & Living
Syracuse, New York - Dr. Peter Breggin's new Center for the Study of Empathic Therapy, Education and Living is sponsoring an exciting, informative, fresh and inspiring conference.

Best Selling Authors: Peter Breggin MD, Charles Whitefield MD, Howard Glasser, Melanie Sears, Wendy West Pidkaminy, Pamela Glasner, Hemant Thakur MD
International Experts: Alberto Fergusson, MD, Bart Billings, PhD, Peter Breggin MD
Professors and Educators: Gerald Porter PhD, Adrianne Johnson PhD, Barbara Streets, PhD, Rosemary Barnes, PhD
Innovative Practitioners: Douglas Smith MD, Deborah Denome, Cindy Perlin, Daniel Mackler, Michael Shaw MD, Sarton Weinraub PhD
Advocates: Sharon Hoffman, Mathy Downing, Attorney Karl Protil, Susan Schellenberg

2011-05-11 - A Course on Compassion Empathy in the Face of Chronic Pain
Most physicians are empathetic by nature and are drawn to medicine because they want to “make a difference.” But the rigors of training and practice often cause us to disconnect from our compassionate selves. The goal of the course is to increase the attendee’s awareness of how this lack of connection interferes with their own quality of life and ability to be effective healers. Compassion is a trait that must be nurtured over time.


2011-05-(22-24) - 2011 Empathy and Innovation Summit - Cleveland OH
The conference focuses on innovations to improve the clinical, physical and emotional experience of patients.
"The Empathy and Innovation Summit is a three-day, multidisciplinary conference devoted to exploring patient experience as a key differentiator essential to the future of healthcare delivery. Click here to see the complete agenda. "
 

2011-06-(02-03) - From Sympathy to Empathy: Hume and Beyond Antwerp University
This two day conference will be devoted to Hume’s concept of sympathy and to contemporary accounts of empathy. The aim of the conference is threefold: a) to address various issues related to Hume’s conception of sympathy as brought forward in his Treatise of Human Nature; b) to confront Hume’s account of sympathy with contemporary research on empathy and the emotions...

2011-06-11 Theme: Teach Compassion: Making Change Happen (Richmond, CA)
Join us to explore humanity's stickiest idea: Compassion. In true TED fashion, we promise a full day of inspiration, insight, interaction, and delight as we learn about the new science of compassion, and see how compassion helps transform schools and communities.

• James Doty on Compassion

• Mary Gordon on Roots of Empathy

• Carolyn Zahn-Waxler  child empathy development

2011-07-(01-02) - Empathy and the Blocking of Empathy
International conference to be held at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development Berlin, July 1-2, 2011 Hosted by Aleida Assmann (Konstanz), Steven Aschheim (Jerusalem) and Ute Frevert (Berlin)

PANEL 1: Neuroscience
PANEL 2: Cultural Concepts
PANEL 3: Empathy and the Holocaust
PANEL 4: Cases of Empathy Past and Present
PANEL 5: Empathy and the Disciplines
PANEL 6: Concluding Remarks

2011-08-(10-12) The Science of Compassion:
National Institute of Nursing Research presents. Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care, at the Hyatt Regency in Bethesda, Maryland. The entire program is free and open to the public. Overall Summit objectives include.

• Examine the current status of end-of-life and palliative care research, practice and policy

• Propose strategies to overcome barriers and ensure scientific and methodological rigor in research

• Delineate new action items that galvanize progress in this vital area of science

• Envision and map pathways to ensure a future rich with scientific endeavor and achievements

2011-08-10 - Telluride Institute - Compassion for a World in Crisis

 Aiming for an exploration which is neither New Age nor overly academic, we will tackle the interesting practical questions around compassion for our time: Can compassion be taught, can it be learned, and how? What is the potential for compassion as a secular protocol? Can the practice of compassion and mindfulness be scaled up from a personal to a societal level? How can we move beyond preaching to the choir and make use of compassion in the most difficult and contentious situations?

2011-08-(26-28)  Beyond the Brain IX The Science of Empathy and the Spirit of Compassion
University of Winchester, UK
The conference will be focusing on empathy and compassion through the lens of the emerging science of empathy, which is demonstrating that we are actually wired for empathy and compassion. Rather than seeing human beings as an outcome of the selfish gene, knowing that empathy potential exists at a neurophysiological level gives us a completely different understanding of human nature. To explore this reality we have brought together a distinguished panel of presenters.  The well-known writer Karen Armstrong has been a leading proponent of the Charter for Compassion, which she will introduce. Iain McGilchrist will explore the neurophysiology underpinning empathy –the social brain - and its association with the right hemisphere.
 

2011-09-07 - Our Way -  Design Academy Eindhoven - Holland  (Empathy in Design)
We will discuss how empathy can play a role in the future of design education with lectures, debates, more then 10 workshops

Facing complex global issues; designers need to “be in tune” to create interdisciplinary solutions. In a
world full ideas, endless technical possibilities as well as urgent needs for smart, sustainable and creative products and services; empathy seems to be a key word.  The ability to feel and understand emotions of other human beings or animals is a very old achievement that is settled both in our body and mind. In fact, according to word respected Dutch primatologist and ethnologist Frans de Waal, empathy and not the survival of the fittest made it possible for human beings to survive. Therefore it should play a key role in politics, commercial  institutes and society in general.  How much empathy is needed for designers?

Empathy 2.0 - Edwin Rutsch and Darci Shaver
With a focus on where compassionate communication and mediation are headed as they pertain to
the current and future states of the online world, Darci Shaver and Edwin Rutsch explore concepts of
connecting with others in cutting edge and empathic ways. This workshop will delve into current
comprehensions of apathy, anonymity, empathy, compassion, and altruism as they apply to online
living. Expect a short story or two, some Q &A, a few interesting empathy ʻtestsʼ to participate in and lots of interesting discussion.
 

2011-09-16 The Neuroscience of Compassion

Sponsored by Stony Brook University's Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics

Several independent lines of scientific inquiry that suggest humans are compassionate by nature, and that those who are compassionate have better heath and live longer compared to those who do not help others. Some efforts to understand the health effects of compassion have turned to neurobiology for answers, as way to study and understand how compassionate behavior involves bodily processes that influence morbidity and mortality.

• Trends in Social Science and Medicine -  Stephanie Brown & David Reinhard

• Measuring Oxytocin and Progesterone - Dylan Smith

• How Genetic Testing Can inform the Science of Compassion - Michael Poulin

• Studying Compassion in the Scanner - Shaun Ho

• Parental Brain informs Compassionate Motivation and Behavior  - James Swain

• Declining Empathy in the United States - Sara Konrath

• Neuroscience and Health: Relevance of Oxytocin, Progesterone and Stress Regulation - Heather Cameron

• Evolutionary Theories of Altruism .. - Stephanie Brown

• Linking Compassionate Behavior to Physical and Mental Health - Sara Konrath, Michael Poulin & James Swain

2011-09-30 - Creating a Mindful Society - Omega Institute
Whether your interest is applying mindfulness at home, in your work, for better health, or simply to make your life more joyful and awake, you will benefit from this groundbreaking conference on changing lives and creating a mindful society.

2011-11-(11-12) - Empathy, Self, Society, Culture

Growing out of a two-year grant-supported project on "Virtuous Empathy: Scientific and Humanistic Investigations," this symposium aims to explore theories and practices of empathy. For more information about the Virtuous Empathy project, see http://poynter.indiana.edu/empathy.shtml. We invite papers to explore both virtuous and vicious forms of empathy, and to do so from a variety of perspectives. Proposals for papers are invited in three broad categories: Empathy and Psychology; Empathy and Ethics; and Empathy in Culture, History, and Society.

2011-10–12 - The Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care
This Summit will bring together scientists, researchers, palliative and end-of-life care health professionals, educators, policy makers, members of professional organizations and individuals with life-limiting illnesses as well as their caregivers.

2011-07–12 - Compassion Research Day at Facebook

At Facebook we understand the importance of research and practice around how people perceive, relate, and engage with each other. In this spirit, Facebook is hosting researchers and practitioners who work to improve our understanding of the driving forces and benefits of compassion.  This event is open to the public and will be streaming live. Location:Facebook Building 2, 1050 Page Mill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304

• Arturo Bejar

• Dacher Keltner

• Kathryn Lee and Mark Basnage ...

• Marc Brackett

• Rodolfo Mendoza-Dento

• Jeffrey Szilagyi and Dave Talamo