Volume 24, Number 5: May 2023
Dear Readers,
On April 27, we published and released our Special Issue on Assisted Dying Practices. This special issue of the IAHPC Newsletter reports the findings of the IAHPC survey on physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia, and includes contributions from a cohort of experts. We are very grateful to all the members who participated, and all the contributors who responded to our invitation to comment.
The issue is a tour de force; we wish to express our gratitude to the people who made it possible:
- IAHPC members who responded to our invitation to participate;
- guest columnists—most of them are IAHPC members in addition to being leaders from the field of palliative care—who responded to our invitation to provide their opinion;
- Tania Pastrana, our research adviser for her guidance, support, and work;
- Alison Ramsey, senior editor of the IAHPC Newsletter, for editing, preparing, and putting this massive issue together;
- Katherine Pettus, senior advocacy and partnerships director, for her columns on perspective on the world religions and on the human rights framework on euthanasia and assisted suicide; and
- our webmaster, Danilo Fritzler, for transforming all these into a shareable, functional format for readers.
We plan to conduct a larger, broader survey before the end of the year, involving all contacts in our database and beyond the IAHPC membership. If you work in palliative care or a related field and want to add your voice, you can be included in the survey by subscribing to our special announcements or the monthly newsletter.
In other news, we were deeply saddened to hear of Lucy Watts’ death on April 26, 2023, in the UK. A joint statement by several organizations, including IAHPC, paid a beautiful tribute to Lucy:
“Lucy was a passionate champion of hospice and palliative care across all ages, especially for children and young adults, advocating for global access to palliative care and disability rights for all, regardless of where in the world they live. Her indomitable spirit shone through in all that she did and achieved and she outlived her initial prognosis by many years—using her energy and passion to advocate for palliative care and disability rights.”
God speed Lucy, thank you for your support, and your commitment to palliative care!
This month we have some exciting news and resources for our members!
First, we are happy to announce the winners of IAHPC Scholarships to attend the EAPC World Congress in Rotterdam, Netherlands:
- Miguel Bayona, a pediatric palliative care physician from Neiva, Colombia.
- Diana Beglaryan, a palliative care physician from Yerevan, Armenia.
- Farah Demachkieh, a quality and research nurse from Beirut, Lebanon.
- Lisa Christine Irumba, advocacy officer in Kampala, Uganda.
- Shantanu Sharma, a senior professor of radiotherapy from Jaipur, India.
Congratulations to the grantees! We hope that the congress will provide excellent opportunities to expand your knowledge and your networks to advance palliative care policies and care provision in your countries. We look forward to your reports after the meeting.
Second, thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Eduardo Bruera and his Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation & Integrative Medicine at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, we are happy to announce that we are offering again the following free books to our new and renewing members (we charge only a shipping and handling fee):
The MD Anderson Supportive and Palliative Care Handbook 2018
Sixth Edition
MD Anderson's Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for Nurses
2nd Edition
Some Notes for Physicians Contemplating a Career in Palliative and Person-Centered Care
Eduardo Bruera, M.D.
The books will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis until they last, so consider joining or renewing your membership before we run out of them! Even if your membership is not up for renewal yet, renew now and we will extend your membership one year from the current expiration date!
Finally, we just completed our own Members Map! Click any marker to see the number of members we have in that country, including the names of both individual and institutional members there.
All these add to the resources, courses, and benefits we already offer to our members. Check out our Members' section page to learn more. And be on the lookout for more membership benefits that will be announced in a few weeks. Please consider joining or renewing your membership to enjoy all of these gifts!
Until next month,
Lukas Radbruch, MD
Chair
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director