End-of-Life Care Research Group
Presentation of unit
The End-of-Life Care Research Group conducts high-quality scientific research in end-of-life care in Belgium and across Europe. Researchers from different scientific backgrounds work in a common research structure to facilitate interdisciplinary collaborative research. The group is spearheaded by a number of experienced researchers and strives to optimize the training and support of junior researchers in order to expand future expertise in end-of-life care research.
The research group also aims to achieve maximum dissemination of its research findings through scientific publications, conferences, professional organizations and the popular media. This means our research leads to the improvement of medical training and education, of end-of-life care practice and organization, and of political and institutional policy.
The team was established in the mid-nineties as a collaboration between researchers of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Ghent University and the first PhD student graduated in 2005. In 2010, the research team became one of the first alliance research groups between Ghent University and the VUB in Brussels. Ever since, the research team has grown substantially ( 60+ staff).
The team at Ghent University is managed by prof. dr. Kenneth Chambaere (director), sociologist, interdisciplinary Chair of Public Health, Sociology & Ethics of the End of Life. The co-chair is prof. dr. Kim Beernaert, experimental psychologist, senior researcher in palliative care and end-of-life care in adult and pediatric clinical practice.
Topics
Research is organized along three research programs, each with research coordination, postdoc researchers and junior researchers or PhD students:
- Public Health & Palliative Care: place of death, preventable hospitalizations, euthanasia and other end-of-life decisions, compassionate communities, etc. (prof Joachim Cohen, PhD, & prof. dr. Kenneth Chambaere, PhD)
- Palliative Care for People with Cancer: integration of palliative care in clinical standard care, palliative care needs, e-health tools, advance care planning (ACP), pediatric palliative care, implementation etc. (prof. dr. Kim Beernaert, PhD, & prof. dr. Koen Pardon, PhD)
- Ageing and Palliative Care: palliative care in nursing homes, ACP for people with dementia, care pathway at the end of life in geriatrics, etc. (prof. dr. Lieve Van den Block, PhD, & prof. dr. Tinne Smets, PhD)
Main activities
- supervising research of PhD and MA students
- participating in and leading on many national and international research projects
- achieving maximum professional and societal dissemination of research findings (through e.g. scientific publication, conferences, readers, policy reports, education for professional organizations)
- improving palliative care practice through implementation of health care innovations, changes in national policies and institutional policies, education and training
List of most important projects
The team coordinated in the last 10 years four major national interuniversity consortium grants of over 2 à 3 M euro each (IWT/FWO SBO projects):
- FLIECE (VUB-UG-KUL), 2011-2015, FLanders Improving End-of-life Care and Evaluation
- INTEGRATE (VUB-UG-KUL), 2015-2019, Integration of palliative care into home, nursing home and hospital care and into the community
- CAPACITY (VUB-UG-KUL), 2019-2023, Flanders project to develop capacity in palliative care across society.
- CONNECT (VUB-UG-KUL), 2024-2028, Flanders' project to understand and improve social connection in serious illness, dying, and bereavement
The team coordinated or participated in the last 10 years in the following EU funded projects:
- EURO IMPACT (coordination), EU FP7, 2010-2015, European Intersectorial and Multi-disciplinary Palliative Care Research Training;
- PACE (coordination), EU FP7, 2014-2019, Comparing the effectiveness of palliative care for elderly people in long term care facilities in Europe;
- ACTION (participation), EU FP7, 2013-2018, Advance Care Planning; an Innovative Palliative Care Intervention to Improve Quality of Life in Cancer Patients- a Multi-Centre Cluster RCT;
- INDUCT (participation), Horizon2020, 2016-2020, Interdisciplinary Network for Dementia Utilising Current Technology;
- DIAdIC (coordination), Horizon2020, 2019-2023, Evaluation of Dyadic Psychosocial and Educational Interventions for People with Advanced Cancer and their Informal Caregivers: An International Randomized Controlled Trial.
- EU NAVIGATE (coordination), EU Horizon Europe, 2022-2027, Navigation intervention for older people with cancer and their families
- EU MyPath (participation), EU Horizon Europe, 2022-2027, Developing and implementing innovative Patient-Centred Care Pathways for cancer patients
- EU PAL-COPD (coordination), EU Horizon Europe Health programme, 2024-2028, Evaluation of the ICLEAR-EU intervention to integrate palliative care in the treatment of people with advanced COPD and their family caregivers: An international stepped wedge cluster RCT in six European countries.
- EU Co-Work (coordination), EU Horizon Europe, 2024-2028, Developing Compassionate Workplaces in Europe for the digital and green work environment to protect employees’ mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Alliance research group
The alliance research group is led by director prof. dr. Kenneth Chambaere and prof. dr. Kim Beernaert.
Please find below the list with core senior researchers from the department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University.
- prof. dr. Kenneth Chambaere, PhD, director, sociology, professor ‘Public Health, Sociology & Ethics of the End of Life’
- professor ‘Public Health, Sociology & Ethics of the End of Life’
- prof. dr. Kim Beernaert, PhD, experimental psychology
- em. prof. Luc Deliens, PhD, professor of palliative care research
- dr. Louise D’Eer, PhD, criminologist, postdoc researcher
- dr. Laure Dombrecht, PhD, experimental psychologist, postdoc researcher
- dr. Marjolein Matthys, PhD, social Anthropologist, postdoc researcher
- dr. Elke Rammant, PhD, health promotion, postdoc researcher
- dr. Anne van Driessche, PhD, health scientist, postdoc researcher
- dr. Romy Van Rickstal, PhD, clinical psychologist, postdoc researcher
Most important international partnerships
- European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC)
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EAPC Reference Group on Public Health and Palliative Care
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EAPC Reference Group on Aging and Palliative Care
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EAPC Task Force Palliative Care for People in Prison
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European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Research Network
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Palliative Care for Children & Young People
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- Public Health Palliative Care International
- International Conference on End-of-Life Law, Policy, Ethics & Practice (ICEL)
- European Palliative Care Research Centre
- International Association on Assisted Dying and Mental Disorders (IAADM)
- UnTIL Net. Understanding Tiredness of LIfe in Older People Research Nerwork
External website
Contact data
UZ Gent campus, 6K3
General
+32 (0)9 332 07 76 (Ghent)
+32 2 477 47 57 (Brussels)
Press contact
Leen Van Brussel: +32 494 29 47 53