Associate Professor Cynthia Goh is Senior Consultant in the Division of Supportive and Palliative Care at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, and Associate Professor at the Duke-NUS Medical School of the National university of Singapore. She is an accredited specialist in Internal Medicine and Palliative Medicine and has a PhD in Molecular Biology.

She is one of the pioneers of hospice in Singapore, starting as a volunteer in 1986. She helped build several palliative care services in the community, including the largest home care service, HCA Hospice Care, and Assisi Hospice. She helped form the Singapore Hospice Council in 1995, which represents all hospice and palliative care service providers in Singapore. She was awarded the Singapore national award, the Public Service Medal, in 1997 for her contributions to hospice care.

In 1999, she started the first Department of Palliative Medicine in Singapore at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, which she headed till 2011. This led to palliative care services being established in all public sector hospitals in Singapore, and Palliative Medicine to be recognised as a medical subspecialty in Singapore in 2006. She helped establish the Chapter of Palliative Medicine at the College of Physicians Singapore in 2011 and chaired the Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Training Committee of the Specialist Accreditation Board, Ministry of Health, until 2018.

Also active in the field of pain, Dr Goh was President of the Pain Association of Singapore from 2001 to 2005 and Founding President of the Association of South East Asian Pain Societies (ASEAPS) from 2004 to 2007. She was Council member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) from 2008 to 2014, and was made an Honorary Member of the IASP in 2020. She helped found the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA) and co-chaired it from 2008 to 2014.

Dr Goh was deeply involved in the formation of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) from 1996 till its legal registration in Singapore in 2001. She has been APHN chair from 2009 till 2021. Her current interests are in leading APHN projects to help build capacity for palliative care in low-and-middle-income countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, India and Bhutan.

Frank Brennan is a Palliative Care Physician based in Sydney, Australia.

He has clinical interests in Renal Supportive Care and Motor Neurone Disease. He wrote narratives drawn from his work that were broadcast on Australian radio and essays examining the way great writers have looked at serious illness, death and bereavement. He is also a lawyer and has written on the human rights dimensions of pain management and Palliative Care. He is a past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine (ANZSPM) and a current board member of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA).

Rachelle Bernacki, MD, MS, is the Director of Quality Initiatives in the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Bernacki served as the Associate Director of the Serious Illness Care Program at Ariadne Labs, which has developed a standardized approach for ensuring clinicians conduct discussions about end-of-life values and goals with seriously ill patients and their families. Dr. Bernacki is also the founder of the Ariadne Labs Serious Illness Community of Practice, which nationally scales communication, implementation, and training efforts to strengthen health systems with innovative and sustainable solutions in serious illness care. She directed the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute randomized controlled trial testing the Serious Illness Care Program, as well as implemented and adapted the program for high-risk primary care patients. Recently, Dr. Bernacki and Dr. Zara Cooper, a trauma surgeon, began the Center for Geriatric Surgery at Brigham and Womenʼs Hospital. Through this clinical and research center, vulnerable surgical patients are identified via preoperative frailty screening and symptom assessment; the team has created clinical pathways tailored to meet each patientsʼ individual needs.

Dr. Bernacki is board certified in Palliative Medicine, Geriatrics, and Internal Medicine and a Fellow of both the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) and the American Geriatrics Society and currently serves on the Board of Directors of AAHPM. Dr. Bernacki is the recipient of two Geriatric Academic Career Awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration and is a 2015 Cambia Sojourns Leadership Scholar.

Dr. Bernacki received her B.S. from Cornell University, her M.S. from the University of Chicago where she completed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, and her M.D. from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, MA, MHS, FAAHPM, FASCO is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy at the Duke University School of Medicine, and Director of the Cancer Patient Experience Research Program (CPEP) in the Duke Cancer Institute. He is board-certified in medical oncology, and in hospice and palliative medicine, and his practice focuses on the care of patients with blood cancers, particularly those with acute leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. Dr. LeBlancʼs program of research focuses on palliative care and patient experience issues in hematology, using both quantitative and qualitative methods to further our understanding of the patient experience of living with (and being treated for) cancers of the blood. His recent efforts have focused on fostering a better understanding of issues faced by patients with acute myeloid leukemia, including those related to symptom burden, quality of life, distress, prognostic understanding, and treatment decision-making. His long-term research and career goal is to develop and test innovative models for integrating palliative care as a standard part of blood cancer care, far upstream from the end-of-life phase, and to overall improve the patient experience of cancer. Dr. LeBlancʼs work in palliative care for patients with blood cancers has led to his recognition as an “Inspirational Leader Under 40” by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), an invitation to Chair an Education Program session on palliative care in hematologic malignancies at the 2015 American Society of Hematology meeting, the receipt of a Cambia Foundation Sojourns Scholars Leadership Award, induction as a “fellow” of the AAHPM in 2016, and the receipt of the international “Clinical Impact Award” from the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) in 2018. In 2021 he was designated Fellow of the American Society of Oncology. Tomʼs research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Palliative Care Research Center, the Cambia Health Foundation, and the American Cancer Society, along with various industry partners, and he has published over 150 peer-reviewed Medline-indexed articles, along with several chapters in prominent textbooks in oncology and palliative medicine, and served as a keynote speaker at several national and international meetings.

Professor Kathy Eagar is Professor of Health Services Research, Director of the Australian Health Services Research Institute (AHSRI) and Executive Director of the Australian Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC). Now in its 16th year, PCOC is funded by the Australian government as a national program that is fundamental to the delivery of palliative care in Australia.

In addition to PCOC, Kathy is also executive director of two other Australasian outcome centres - the Australasian Rehabilitation Outcomes Centre (AROC), and the electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC). She has authored over 500 papers on management, quality, outcomes, information systems and funding of health and community care systems.

Fliss qualified in medicine in the UK in 1986. She worked in General Practice for almost 10 years, then undertook specialist training in palliative medicine. She is now Professor of Palliative Care at Hull York Medical School, and Visiting Professor of Palliative Care at the Cicely Saunders Institute, Kingʼs College London, UK, and Consultant in Palliative Medicine at Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, in Hull, UK.

She is experienced in providing palliative care to a wide range of people with far advanced disease and their families, and has published extensively on palliative and end-of-life care needs, especially for older people and those with advanced kidney disease. She is also experienced in research methods: cohort and cross sectional surveys, psychometrics, implementation and use of outcomes, especially the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale (see www.pos-pal.org).

Some of her current and recent projects are:

The Outcome Assessment and Complexity Collaborative (OACC). Funded by Guyʼ s & St Thomasʼ Charity, 2013-6: The Outcome Assessment and Complexity Collaborative (OACC) project developed a set of core outcome measures for palliative care, and implemented these in nine services in South East England, in order to improve care.

C-CHANGE: Delivering quality and cost-effective care across the range of complexity for those with advanced conditions in the last year of life. Funded by the National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research, 2013 – 2018: The C-CHANGE project developed and validated a patientcentred, nationally applicable case-mix classification for adult palliative care provision in England.

RESOLVE: Improving health status and symptom experience for people living with advanced cancer 2018-22. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research: The RESOLVE project continues the work to implement outcome measures into palliative care, and study best ways to do this.

Yorkshire Cancer Research. TRANSFORM: Reducing inequalities in cancer outcomes in Yorkshire 2017-2022. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research: this programme is developing innovation in diagnosis, patient management, survivorship, and palliative care research.

Research England - International Investment Initiative (I3). Building Critical Mass, Increasing Scale and Impact For Palliative Care Through International Collaboration 2019-2024. Building international collaboration to support and expand palliative care research.

Flissʼ publications are available at http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1289-3726

Clinical experience: After graduated from Kyoto University of Medicine in 1992, he completed a residency program in internal medicine at the Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital, a 934-bed general hospital located in western area of the Shizuoka prefecture, 1992-1993. He became a staff medical doctor of the Seirei Hospice, one of the most oldest inpatient hospices (palliative care units) in Japan, and provided his most of time to patient care in inpatient and home care settings from 1993-2002. In doing so, he received research training at the Psycho-Oncology Division of the National Cancer Center Research Institute East, Japan, in 2000-2001. He started a hospital palliative care program in 2002 as the Head of Palliative Care Team of the Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital. He is now the Director of the Department of Palliative and Supportive Care from 2005, and the Vice-director of the Seirei Mikatahara General Hospital from 2014. He is also a Clinical Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Kyoto University, from 2012.

Academic contribution: He is a member of the Japan Society of Palliative Medicine. Editorial boards of Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (2004-) and Journal of Palliative Medicine (2009-). Associate Editor of the Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology (2009-). One of editors of the Textbook of Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care. He has been participating into many MHLW-granted research, and published more than 200 scientific papers. Main research topics included; symptom management, especially delirium, refractory suffering, sedation, hydration, end-of-life issues, and care delivery.

Dr Helen Chanʼs research interests focus on gerontology, long-term care and nursing ethics. She promotes palliative and end-of-life care for older adults and people with chronic progressive diseases through various interventional and policy research, health promotion and knowledge transfer projects. She is the recipient of ACU Titular Fellowships in 2017, Young Investigator Awards at the 19th Hong Kong International Cancer Congress in 2012 and 5th Hong Kong Palliative Care Symposium in 2008.

Currently, she serves as Honorary Advisor of Hong Kong Young Womenʼs Christian Association, Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing and Jockey Club CADENZA Hub, Associate Professor (by courtesy) of CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, Co-opt member of the Education Committee of the Nursing Council of Hong Kong and Council member of Hong Kong Association of Gerontology.

Dr Luyirika is Executive Director of the African Palliative Care Association a pan-African palliative care organization with programmes in over 24 African countries www.africanpalliativecare.org . He is a board member of the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, President of the Executive Board of CoRSU Hospital in Uganda a charitable rehabilitation and plastic surgery service for children and adults with disability. Previously, he was clinical and country director of Mildmay International in Uganda, worked for the Department of Health in South Africa and lectured in Family Medicine at the Medical University of Southern Africa. He was involved on the Lancet Commission on Global Access to Palliative Care and Pain medicines. Over the last 18 years he has served on several technical committees at Ministry Of Health Uganda, Uganda AIDS Commission, WHO, UNICEF and UNAIDS and as Vice Chairperson of the Council of the Institute of Hospice and Palliative Care in Africa. He has also been part of International Atomic Energy Agency/WHO ImPACT missions to some African countries.

He has also served on a committee of the American Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reviewing PEPFAR funded programme in Rwanda.

He studied medicine at Makerere University, Family Medicine at Medical University of Southern Africa, Public Policy, Policy Informatics and Management at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and HIV at the University of Witwatersrand. He is a co-investigator on 4 ongoing studies in palliative care and has been an investigator and published on several HIV, cancer and palliative care research projects and served on several Data Safety Monitoring Boards and technical steering committees of research trials in Africa. He has been a co-author of several chapters in cancer and palliative care books. Some of the publications can be found at https://www.africanpalliativecare.org/resources-centre/apca-publications/

He believes in professional interaction across divides and multi-profession partnerships to develop better technological and non-technological solutions to health challenges facing Africa and the world. He believes in developing others to be better and values ethical approaches to living drawn from his African heritage and the Christian foundation and has an open mind to learn from others with different views. He has been married for 25 years and has three children.

Dr Raymond Ng is a senior consultant and head of service, Palliative Medicine, Woodlands Health Campus in Singapore.

He holds concurrent appointments as:

a)         clinical lead of advance care planning (ACP), Woodlands Health Campus.
b)         chairperson of the national ACP research and development committee
c)         co-chair of the national ACP steering committee.
d)         course director, Graduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine, Division of Graduate Medical Studies, Singapore.
e)         member of the ethics committee, Woodlands Health Campus
f)         chairperson, scientific committee. 8th ACP International Conference (planned for 2023).
g)         committee member, ACP International society.

Dr Ng graduated with M.B.B.S from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1997 and completed a Masters in Family Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2006. He underwent fellowship training in Family Medicine from 2008 to 2010 and specialist training in palliative medicine from 2009 to 2012. He is a fellow of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore since 2014.

He has special interests in ACP being involved in local as well as regional studies in ACP. He has also actively advocated for ACP within the local media.

Dr Raymond Ng is a clinician who strongly believes that ACP is for everyone and to help everyone live well. In asking every patient “What matters to you?” advance care planning brings person-centred care to the heart of medicine. He believes too that how we treat the most vulnerable amongst us is a barometer of the state of our health system and the compassion quotient within our society.