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Chair EAPC Research Network
EAPC president 1999-2005
Member of Board of Directors 1999 – 2007

Curriculum Vitae
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Mission Statement

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) has its primary goal to develop and disseminate palliative care at a scientific, clinical and social level. We are an interdisciplinary organisation, all caregivers, independent upon profession or nationality, are welcome to join at all levels.

Rapid changes have been seen in health care during the latest decades with a growing elderly population, which means more people in need of palliative care. Furthermore, Europe is changing, the European Union (EU) has become very important in giving the premises in health care in general and in health care research specifically. At the same time many new Eastern European countries are joining EU and our organisation, the EAPC.

The EAPC Board has during its last four year period worked towards a structure of giving more people the opportunity to join into our activities and also to support our members with knowledge, skills and information. The overall aim is to improve palliative care for all. From 1999 to end of 2002 the number of Associations collective members of EAPC increased from 20 to 28.

Every second year we will organise our major interdisciplinary international conference, which in all practical terms is "The World Congress of Palliative Care". The research congress, which we now have defined rather as a forum with a limited number of participants, focus only on research in palliative care. This is done in order to prevent a competition between the two events.

 



Professor Stein Kaasa
University Hospital of Trondheim
Palliative Medicine Unit
Olav Kyrres gt. 17
7006 Trondheim
NORWAY.
Tel: +47 73 867251.
Fax: +47 73 867289/867255.
E-mail:

We have developed a structure of Task Forces (click for more information) with the aim to actively support work on focused subjects for a limited amount of time and for all interested members to join in. For the time being the following main themes are: Ethics (Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide), Standards in palliative care, Education (both nursing, medical and interdisciplinary), Elderly and palliative care and Development of palliative care in Eastern Europe. The EAPC Research Network is active in development of review papers and lately to conduct empirical studies. In its last meeting the EAPC Board of Directors decided to also to facilitate/promote initiatives for Palliative Care for Children.

The European Journal of Palliative Care (EJPC) is our official since 1994 and well acknowledged by our members, and also non-members. We are given more attention lately to improve communication with our members by mean of a continuous update of our web site. Finally, EAPC have formalised a collaboration with Palliative Medicine, the leading journal in palliative care in Europe. The journal has become the official research journal of EAPC, while EJPC remains the official journal of our organisation.

Funding for professional development in palliative care and research is crucial. EU is the main resource for such funds. During our last Board meeting in January this year it was decided to allocate resources in order to make palliative care more visible in the base documents of EU, which give directions for support in the future projects.

Being responsible for these and many other initiatives in EAPC I have decided to stand for re-election for a new period of four years. I will commit myself to continue the work within the direction given by the sitting Board and hopefully within the new Board of Directors.

Some of my priorities will be (in a none ranged order):

  • The overall aim is to improve palliative care for all, “one voice - on vision” across Europe.
  • Communication and information about palliative care to the society in general and to politicians specifically.
  • Further develop EAPC recommendations on professional education in palliative care, both undergraduate and postgraduate.
  • Develop updated standards of palliative care for Europe.
  • Improve palliative care, specifically for the elderly (geriatric) population with and without cancer, and for the paediatric population.
  • Improve the quality and quantity of palliative care research.
  • Work for continuos development of EAPC as an interdisciplinary organisation.