Looking Forward to Montreal

Fifty years after Dr. Balfour Mount founded the first hospital-based palliative care service, we return to Montréal to celebrate, reflect, and continue the work.

Next week I am looking forward to joining colleagues from around the world at the Canadian Palliative Care Conference, which this year celebrates 50 years of palliative care.

It is a particular honour to be contributing to the programme through a plenary presentation, Strong Roots, Bold Futures.

My plenary reflects on the field's past, present, and future through a simple but important question: whose stories are shaping ourunderstanding of palliative care, and whose voices are we still not hearing? Drawing on lessons from palliative care pioneers as well as communities whose experiences have too often been overlooked, the presentation explores how listening more broadly can help create amore equitable future for palliative care.

The conference organisers have kindly produced a short video introducing the plenary, which you can view here:

▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj0rONW7k5s

I am also looking forward to sharing Te Whare Kaiao brings together Māori knowledge, values, and lived experience to support culturally safe children's palliative care in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dr Stella Black and A/Prof Jackie Robinson will also be attending to present our research on legacy planning for communities experiencing homelessness.

If you are attending the conference, please come and say hello!

Ngā mihi nui,

Merryn
Co-Director, Te Ārai Palliative and End of Life Care Research Group