The Centre for Palliative Care is the academic arm of the palliative care service based at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne.  It is a collaborative centre of the University of Melbourne and has a goal and vision to enhance palliative care provision through enhancing research and education in the state of Victoria, Australia.

As such, the Centre has a significant research output with both clinician and academic researchers in the programs of:

• models of palliative care delivery;
• psychosocial support; and
• clinical and symptom trials.

Key areas of focus within these programs include developing and testing interventions to improve the experience of family caregivers of palliative care patients through support, education and advocacy; examining service models of palliative care delivery and evidence for effectiveness, particularly for patients with high grade glioma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or those attending the emergency department; and conducting clinical trials to examine symptom management strategies such as medications.

The Centre also enhances excellence in palliative care through developing education programs for:

• Health professionals who want to specialise in palliative care;
• Generalist health care providers who require training in the fundamentals of palliative care;
• Connecting research, education and clinical practice to inform knowledge.

Education programs within the Centre include:

• Victorian Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner Collaborative (VPCNPC);
• Victorian Aboriginal Palliative Care Collaborative (VAPCC);
• Victorian End-of-Life Care Coordinating Program (VEC);
• Victorian Palliative Medicine Training Program (VPMTP);
• Renal Supportive Care Project.

Staff at the centre are also involved in the supervision of PhD students, and candidates seeking supervisors to undertake palliative care research are encouraged to contact the Centre to discuss their interests.

More information on the Centre can be accessed at: http://centreforpallcare.org