The National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), a component of the National Institutes of Health, and its partners will host The Science of Compassion: Future Directions in End-of-Life and Palliative Care. This trans-NIH summit aims to examine the current status of end-of-life and palliative care research and practice; propose strategies to address current barriers to care; and prioritize action items to stimulate research in this area. Participants include scientists, researchers, health care providers, educators, representatives from professional organizations and members of the public.