2020; Volume 21, No 12, December

IAHPC Members: Who are they?

By Genevieve Napier
IAHPC Programs Officer

The IAHPC membership consist of physicians, non-physicians (nurses, social workers, chaplains, educators, etc.), undergraduate students, post-graduate students enrolled in a palliative care program, and institutions (patient care, academic, civil societies).

The pie chart shows the current breakdown, but it is constantly evolving.

In the past two years, we have seen a shift from a majority of non-physician members (56% in 2018) to almost an equal distribution of physicians (50% in 2020) and non-physicians (49% in 2020).

Another growing trend is among post-graduates, who have increased from 2.9% to 7.9% of members in the past two years. We attribute this increase to our campaign of rewarding those institutions that provide post-graduate programs leading to a formal degree in palliative care, of providing one-year free membership for their post-graduate students.

You, our members, are IAHPC's most important and cherished resource. Members' Impact was launched this year to celebrate your successes, extend your collective knowledge base, and aid in your networking. It includes:

  • articles and books that have been published (in the medical literature)
  • research posters that have been disseminated
  • awards that have been earned
  • successful initiatives, such as fundraising programs, workplace advances, online courses or presentations, etc.

Contact me, IAHPC Programs Officer Genevieve Napier, to tell spread the news of your achievement, or alert us to the achievement of another IAHPC member.

Members’ Impact

Mitsuru Stakitani, MD, PhD, is the Director of ICCC in Kobe, Japan, and has been a member of the IAHPC since 2010.

Dr. Stakitani has authored a monograph titled SARS-CoV-2 and the post-COVID-19 era. Written in Japanese and published in October, the book covers the origin of SARS-CoV-2, its worldwide expansion, infection protections, infection routes, examinations, vaccination, therapies, and proposals for post-COVID-19 resilience. He emphasizes the importance of infection controls for everyone, but for vulnerable people in particular, discussing standard precautions as well as contact, droplet, and airborne precautions.

Dr. Stakitani is a specialist in molecular oncology and clinical hematology-oncology. He developed an interest in palliative care as it is an important part of supportive care in cancer; palliative care has become his subspecialty.

He participated in the 2018 World Health Organization-IAHPC joint project to revise the definition of palliative care. He describes the resulting Consensus-Based Definition of Palliative Care as “elaborating the [2002] WHO definition in comprehensive, continuous, and holistic care for everyone, particularly the most vulnerable people.”

Hammoda Abu-Odah, an IAHPC post-graduate member, is a PhD student at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Nursing.

Mr. Abu-Odah will be the first nurse in Palestine to obtain a PhD degree that specializes in palliative care. He was featured in the university’s online newsletter in October, which described his bumpy post-educational journey; Mr. Abu-Ohad was awarded six scholarships to study abroad between 2014 and 2018, but the closed Gaza border blocked access to the airport and he could not obtain the necessary permission to travel. In 2018, he successfully sorted out travel issues (which took three months), to accept a Fellowship at The Hong Kong Polytechnic.

His research is on “Factors Associated with the Successful Development of a Palliative Care Program into Palestinian Healthcare System,” which has been providing information and statistics for the Palestinian Ministry of Health to review cancer care services.

Due in part to his research findings so far, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has established a new committee for palliative care.


Members in this Newsletter

The IAHPC leadership would like to thank the many members who participated in stories and columns in this month’s newsletter.

Policy & Advocacy
IAHPC News
Grants in Action
Featured Story
Members’ Impact

Links to IAHPC programs mentioned above: Global Consensus-Based Palliative Care Definition, COVID-19 Briefing Notes, Global Palliative Care Database, Membership Awards and Opioid Price Watch


List of Members

A list of individuals who joined, or renewed their membership with, IAHPC during the past month.

Membership renewals
Name Country
Sofia Bunge Argentina
Anam Cara House Colac Inc Australia
Farzana Khan Bangladesh
Fazle Noor Biswas Bangladesh
Rubayat Rahman Bangladesh
Rumana Dowla Bangladesh
Cledy Eliana Dos Santos Brazil
Danielle Lopes Brazil
Paula Damaris Chagas Barrioso Brazil
Kenfack Jiofack Fulbert Cameroon
Maria Jose Puga Chile
Asociacion Cuidados Paliativos Colombia - ASOCUPAC Colombia
Gloria Mabel Carrillo Colombia
Luisa Fernanda Rodriguez Campos Colombia
Paola Marcela Ruiz Ospina Colombia
Marvin Colorado El Salvador
Nina Kiknadze Georgia
Alba Maricela Catillo Guatemala
Anu Savio Thelly India
Jayita Deodhar India
Kush Gupta India
Mohd Yunus Khilji India
Padma Sesha Sarada Lingaraju India
Piyush Gupta India
Roopesh Jain India
Sushma Bhatnagar India
Hossein Shirazi Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Simone Cernesi Italy
Mitsuru Stakitani Japan
Phanice Jepkemoi Tom Kenya
Zipporah Ali Kenya
Macedonian Association for Palliative Care Macedonia, FYR
Christopher Mindiera Malawi
Palliative Care Association of Malawi (PACAM) Malawi
Emilia da Felicidade Venturas Pinto Miquidade Mozambique
Wah Wah Myint Zu Myanmar
Bishnu Dutta Paudel Nepal
Sudhir Sapkota Nepal
Eunice Boluwatife Olusoji Nigeria
Yetunde Oloyede Nigeria
Asociacion Panamena de Cuidados Paliativos Panama
Cecilia Ugaz Olivares Peru
Marianne Joy Napata Naria-Maritana Philippines
Rumalie Corvera Philippines
Coumba Gueye Senegal
Paliativos Sin Fronteras Spain
Piyumi Weerawardhana Sri Lanka
Frank Manase Tanzania
David Kavuma Uganda
Gerever Niwagaba Uganda
Maryna Lobodina Ukraine
Cheryl Marks United States
Faustino Gonzalez United States
Judith Paice United States
William Rosa United States
Yakhyo Ziyaev Uzbekistan
Abidan Chansa Zambia
Hospice and Palliative Care Association of Zimbabwe (HOSPAZ) Zambia
Mwate Joseph Chaila Zambia
Agnes Chipo Tererai Zimbabwe
New members
Name Country
Maria Belen Pranevicene Argentina
Kate Reed-Cox Australia
Tara Devi Laabar Australia
Anne Vandenhoeck Belgium
Alessandra Antunes Brazil
Clara Nobrega Brazil
Cristiane Aparecida Gomes Ferraz Brazil
Gabriela Rezende Brazil
Kenia da Hora Brazil
Paulo Othavio Araujo Almeida Brazil
Vera Maria Silveira de Azevedo Brazil
Olivia Nguyen Canada
Yue Yan China
Natalia Arias Quiroz Colombia
Alexandra Maria Aceituno Rios Guatemala
Anusha Viswanathan India
Manisha Manisha India
Shyamashree das India
Subhajit Ghosh India
Vikram Pratap Singh India
Tuti Pahria Indonesia
Karen Ryan Ireland
Alice Muthoni Nkaabu Kenya
Catherine Katuku Mutinda Kenya
Erick Wandede Kenya
Lilian Saidi Kenya
Lucy Ndiga Mwendwa Kenya
Martha Mburu Kenya
Pateel Daniel Lenaruti Kenya
Serah Wanjiku Kenya
Susan Nkuene Muthengi Kenya
Teresa Maina Kenya
Brenda Mariana Carbajal Torres Mexico
Daniel Alejandro Lopez Aguilera Mexico
Jose Isaac Gonzalez Huerta Mexico
Benjamin Obiora Nigeria
St. Elizabeth Hospital, Latifabad Hyderabad Pakistan Pakistan
Paola Martinez Peru
Joan Rafols Philippines
Xiohara Gentica Philippines
Liliana Viera-Ortiz Puerto Rico
Indira Cancer Trust Sri Lanka
Jithma Nethsara Sri Lanka
Sampatha Goonewardena Sri Lanka
Brian Nyatanga United Kingdom
Archana Vajjala United States
Collaborative for Palliative Care United States
Emilee Flynn United States
Yvette Benjamin United States

See the full list of IAHPC members


Do you have any questions regarding membership issues?

Contact Ms. Genevieve Napier


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