Plenary Speakers
Linda Björkhem-Bergman is Professor in Palliative Medicine at Karolinska Institutet and Senior Consultant in Palliative Care at Stockholms Sjukhem, Stockholm, Sweden. She is MD with specialist training in both Clinical Pharmacology and Palliative Medicine. She has long experience of performing clinical trials in different study settings including palliative care.
Her research focuses on studies for better symptom relief for patients in palliative care and end-of-life. Methods used include randomized, controlled, studies, prospective studies, epidemiological studies as well as experimental and translational research in pharmacology and immunology. She has ongoing studies on deprescribing of medications in palliative cancer care and how to optimize health care interventions in end-of-life patients.
Professor Mette Asbjoern Neergaard is a board member of European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC). She is a clinical professor and senior consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Section for Specialist Palliative Care (PC), Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, having worked there since 2009. She works clinically and research wise with PC to adults, children and adolescents regardless of diagnosis and setting.
Professor Neergaard has published PC research since 2007 primarily concerning PC in primary care, place of death, advance care planning (ACP) and inequality in PC, along with several textbooks and book chapters about PC and ACP. She is the research leader of The Research Unit: Palliative Care Aarhus, and among other research initiatives, she is PI of the extensive research initiative CASEMED (Cancer Patients with pre-existing Severe Mental Disorders). She is founder of Danish PC Research Network and board member of Danish Society for Palliative Medicine.
Dr Gayatri Palat is Professor and Head of the Department of Pain and Palliative Medicine at the MNJ Institute of Oncology and Regional Cancer Centre (MNJIO) in Hyderabad, India. She is a leading clinician and educator in palliative care with extensive experience in integrating pain and symptom management into oncology services.
She has played a pivotal role in establishing and expanding palliative care services at MNJIO and across districts in Telangana. As a founder member of the Pain Relief and Palliative Care Society (PRPCS), she has been instrumental in developing one of the largest community-based palliative care programs, including home-based care, hospice services, rural outreach, and a unique pediatric palliative care program.
Dr Palat serves in several national and international roles, including as a member of the Board of Trustees of the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and as a consultant with Two Worlds Cancer Collaboration (TWCC). Her work focuses on capacity building and education in palliative care across low- and middle-income countries, with initiatives spanning India, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. She has contributed to the global palliative care field through leadership roles, faculty positions, and editorial work, advancing access to quality care for patients with serious illness.
Julie Ling is a Consultant Technical Officer for Palliative Care at the World Health Organization European Office where she works with countries throughout the region to strengthen palliative care for both adults and children with life-limiting conditions. Prior to this she was CEO of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) for ten years. Julie has recently been appointed as a Visiting Senior Lecturer at Kings College London & the Cicely Saunders Institute. She is a board member of the Health Research Board Ireland.
Originally a nurse, Julie has worked in palliative care for thirty-five years in both adult and children’s palliative care. She has held a variety of posts in clinical care; management; research; policy and the voluntary sector. She successfully completed a PhD by research. Julie also has an MBA from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
