Yankton Physician Selected to Present at National Palliative Care Assembly
Amanda Sedlacek, DO, MSA, FACP, FACOI, FAAHPM
Amanda Sedlacek, DO, MSA, FACP, FACOI, FAAHPM, Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine Physician at Yankton Medical Clinic, has been selected by the Annual Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care Planning Committee to present nationally at the 2027 National Assembly of Hospice and Palliative Care in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in March 2027.
Dr. Sedlacek's article, "Beyond Capacity: A Five-Step Interdisciplinary Framework for Preserving Autonomy in Serious Illness," was selected from physician submissions from across the country. The Planning Committee noted that final selections were based on reviewer scores, program balance, and overall merit recommendations.
The presentation represents not only Dr. Sedlacek's clinical and academic work, but also an ongoing interdisciplinary effort to improve advance care planning and preserve patient autonomy for South Dakotans living with serious illness.
Dr. Sedlacek has been collaborating with Michele Snyder, Hospice and Palliative Care Program Manager of the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations SDAHO Cameo Anders, Attorney in Estate & Trust Planning and adjunct at USD Sanford School of Medicine and Knudson School of Law; and Sarah Mollman, Associate Dean of Research Graduate Nursing at South Dakota State University in Rapid City. Together, the group has brought together perspectives from medicine, law, health care organizations, and academic research to address increasingly complex questions surrounding decision-making and advance care planning.
The team has previously presented its work at the South Dakota Association of Health Care Organizations Post Acute Care Partners in Care Conference in April 2026 and South Dakota State Bar Association Annual Conference 2026 , with discussions focused on advance care planning when decision-making capacity changes, developments in palliative care across the Dakotas, and opportunities to strengthen and modernize South Dakota's advance care planning documents.
Their work reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that advance care planning is not simply a document completed once, but an ongoing process that helps patients, families, and healthcare professionals navigate serious illness with clarity, dignity, and respect for individual wishes.
"We are thrilled to showcase your work at the Assembly. We are grateful for the time, energy, and expertise you invested in submitting your work, and we look forward to celebrating your presentation together in Pittsburgh," the Annual Assembly Planning Committee wrote in notifying Dr. Sedlacek of her selection.
For Dr. Sedlacek, the national presentation provides an opportunity to bring lessons learned through this South Dakota collaboration to a national audience while continuing the conversation about how healthcare systems, legal professionals, and communities can better protect patient autonomy when serious illness changes a person's ability to make or communicate decisions.
Dr. Sedlacek practices Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine at Yankton Medical Clinic, an Avera Partner, in Yankton. To schedule an appointment, call 605-665-1152.