Jennifer Hunt

Jennifer Hunt is a clinical social worker, specializing in palliative care and bereavement. She is self-employed in her private practice as a palliative care social worker, bereavement therapist and family therapist. Her key skills include facilitation of patient and family psychosocial support and interpersonal communication skills. Having practiced as a social worker for over 40 years she has accumulated a wealth of experience across diverse life situations, working with children, adolescents and adults. Latterly she has expanded her skills to integrating awareness of loss and bereavement into humanitarian settings. 

Ms. Hunt assisted in establishing palliative care in Zimbabwe from 1979 and was employed by Island Hospice from 1991 to 2002 as a palliative care social worker and the bereavement service coordinator. During this time, she developed several training modules, expanded bereavement support groups and undertook limited bereavement research. She has continued to volunteer with palliative care programs since leaving Island Hospice, serving on technical teams to integrate palliative care into all levels of the health service, assisting with development of national and regional policy documents, and cascading the implementation of a tool she developed to raise awareness of grief at community level.

She has undertaken several palliative care consultancies and research projects across Africa, and has published widely in journals and edited books.

She remains a member of national, regional and international palliative care associations.

Ms. Hunt joined IAHPC as a member in 2013 and was elected to the Board of Directors for the period 2026 to 2028. She will be serving on the Advocacy and Education committees.

Her areas of interest while working with IAHPC will include rigorous advocacy for palliative care integration at all levels of health care in her country and regionally, encouraging commitment to improved bereavement awareness and its heightened profile within palliative care, and ensuring provision of an inclusive global discussion platform for all practitioners. 

Ms. Hunt aims for a balanced work/social life by walking daily, playing golf and escaping to the bush when possible.