2013; Volume 14, No 7, July
Message from the Chair and Executive Director
Dear readers:
This month we have some sad news: Professor Geoffrey Hanks died from complications of Parkinson’s disease in Bristol, UK. This edition of the IAHPC Newsletter features a piece about his contribution to global palliative care. We feel honored to have met him and are grateful for his support during his tenure as an IAHPC Board Member, as well as his participation in the development of the IAHPC’s List of Essential Medicines for Palliative Care. Professor Hanks will be missed by many. On behalf of our board of directors, staff and IAHPC members, we send our condolences to his family and friends.
On a happy note, the entire board and administration of IAHPC send their enthusiastic congratulations to Derek Doyle for receiving the EAPC 2013 award. Derek is a true friend and Lifetime member of the board as well as a regular contributor to this association’s development, growth and activities for many years. This edition of the newsletter features a piece about Derek by William Farr, our Senior Editor.
Traveling Scholarship Grants: Congratulations to the following individuals who received grants to support their travel and participation in seminars and educational meetings:
- Sushma Bhatnagar, Professor of pain and palliative care at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in new Delhi, India, to attend the class room courses related for the Master’s of Science in Palliative Medicine, at Cardiff University in the UK.
- Sanjay Dhiraaj, Professor of anesthesiology at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, in Lucknow, India, to attend the class room courses for the Master’s of Science in Palliative Medicine, at Cardiff University in the UK.
- Matias Najum, chief of palliative care service at the Hospital Universitario Austral in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to support his travel for training in palliative care at the Clinica Universidad de Navarra in Spain.
- Marwan Abdelnafie, medical officer (general practitioner) at the Palliative care unit in at the Radio and Isotope Center in Khartoum (RICK), Sudan, to attend the palliative care unit Pediatric Palliative Care Workshop and the Pain and Symptom control course in Hospice Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- In addition, a grant was given to Pallium India, in Trivandrum, Kerala, to support the participation of students from India to train in the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences.
Through the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund a grant was given to Linly Manalo Chitete from Malawi to support his Bachelor of Science in Palliative Care at the Institute of Palliative Medicine for Africa in Makerere University, Uganda.
This edition of the NL features some of the reports of the grantees who received funds to support their travels to the EAPC Congress in Prague this past month.
Traveling Fellowship Grants: Mereline Brown, nurse in the home care team at the Hospice of Palm Beach County in Florida, USA to support her travel and teaching at Scheer Memorial Hospital in Banapa, Nepal. The Hospital has 5 beds in a separate unit that can be used for Hospice & Palliative Care. The administrator and staff is requesting help (grant) to open and maintaining the unit so it can benefit the people of Banapa and surrounding villages.
Social media: We are in Facebook! Our IAHPC Facebook page is now live and running with posts highlighting news and events that are happening around the world as well as resources to help the global palliative care community. Make sure to visit our page and “like” us in facebook! To visit our page go to www.hospicecare.com and click on the Facebook icon at the bottom.
Until next month,
Roberto Wenk, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director