Leadership starts here. And with us.

“The EAPC needs you. Stand up. Get involved!”  This was the key message that Professor Sheila Payne, President of the European Association for Palliative Care and a member of the EUPCA Advisory Board, gave the 20 new graduates of the European Palliative Care Academy (EUPCA) on Saturday night in Brasov.

In the presence of distinguished guests and members of the Advisory Board, including Mary Callaway from the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) and Dr Frank D Ferris, executive director of palliative medicine, research and education for the OhioHealth system, the EUPCA team proudly celebrated the achievements and successes of their first 20 students in the home town of Hospice Casa Sperantei, Romania’s Centre of Excellence for Palliative Care. The 20 graduates, from 14 European countries with seven different professional backgrounds, received their certificates of achievement for completing the first-ever Academy course from members of the steering committee.

The European Palliative Care Academy is a joint project of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the University Hospital Cologne, Germany; the Nicolaus Copernicus University Torun, Poland; King’s College London, UK, and Hospice Casa Sperantei, Brasov, Romania, in collaboration with the EAPC. The course is made up of six modules –Project Management, Personal Development, Team Work, Research and Advocacy – and includes a personal project, as well as an observation week at a European Institution of the participant’s choice. The modules are taught in four face-to-face teaching weeks, one at each of the partner institutions. As the final module, Advocacy, was taught in Brasov, it seemed only right that this should be the location for the graduation ceremony.

“Not only have we been able to highlight the achievements of all our graduates this evening, but we have actively demonstrated that palliative care can really benefit from an international network,” remarked Assistant Professor Dr Daniela Mosoiu, Education and National Development Director at Hospice Casa Sperantei and a member of the EUPCA Steering Committee.

With the new intake of students in September 2015, EUPCA aims to expand and build upon that network. EUPCA will be represented at this week’s EAPC World Congress in Copenhagen with a stand and poster. In the ‘Meet the Experts’ session on Saturday 9 May (08.00 in meeting room 20) participants will also have the chance to meet some of the members of the EUPCA steering committee and teaching staff personally.

Graduate students from the European Palliative Care Academy, teaching faculty and guests

Now, the 20 graduates will be returning to their respective countries to continue advancing palliative care throughout Europe by applying what they have learnt throughout the course. The personal projects also ensure that the course is already having a direct impact on palliative care in at least 14 European countries. And the projects are just as varied as the students. From setting up an out-of-hours telephone service in Athens to developing a strategic bereavement plan for a Dublin hospice, or initiating an Advisory Group for Pediatric Hospices in Central Europe, the projects certainly demonstrate that the graduates really are on the way to becoming the palliative care leaders of tomorrow.

As Niamh Finucane, a social worker from Dublin, Ireland and EUPCA graduate, stated during the ceremony, “Leadership starts here. And with us,” proving that Sheila Payne’s message has already been received loud and clear.

Find out more…

• Click here for more information on the next course. Deadline for applications: 31 May 2015.
• Join us at the European Palliative Care Academy stand at the congress.
• Come along to our ‘Meet the Experts’ session on Saturday 9 May (08.00, meeting room 20).