We are a multidisciplinary team led by Professor Stephen Barclay, Dr Anna Spathis, and Dr Simon Noah Etkind.
The established researchers and teaching staff on our team have backgrounds in medicine (palliative medicine, general practice, psychiatry), nursing, public health, sociology, psychology, policy making, statistics, health services research, bioethics, and political science. Our affiliated colleagues add further knowledge of clinical trial evaluation, research implementation, and intervention development.
The team is constantly enriched by colleagues who stay with us for briefer periods, for instance ARC fellows (clinicians who have been granted a fellowship by the National Institute of Health Research’s Applied Research Collaboration to develop research skills) or Academic Clinical Fellows.
We also welcome Cambridge medical students, Population Health Sciences MPhil students and prospective PhD applicants who want to develop their research skills and knowledge in palliative and end of life care. It helps us remember both the beginners’ excitement for research and appreciate the long path of learning we’ve travelled!
We work closely with patients and the public, people with personal experience of the palliative and end of life care of their loved ones. Study after study, they have shared their personal stories and lived experience. They have helped us stay anchored in questions that matter and to use language that is easy to understand.
The methods we use are a broad range, including qualitative interviews and focus groups, quantitative surveys, systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials. We draw on theories and explanatory frameworks from the breadth of disciplines represented on our team, particularly sociology, psychology and health services research.
While research rigour and depth are of primary importance to us, we aim to make a practical difference by:
-
Helping to improve the lives (and memories) of patients and carers
-
Informing the education and skills development of health professionals
-
Aiding the decisions of service managers, commissioners and policy makers.
Have a look at our current research areas, teaching activities, and a list of group members.
Please direct any enquiries to our group administrator Angela Harper.