Inaugural Lectures
21st July 2023
In June Professor Katherine Sleeman and Professor Catherine Evans gave their inaugural lectures at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London. The event was an opportunity for colleagues, friends and supporters to come together and celebrate their personal journeys in academia, their research achievements so far, and hear about the impact of their research on clinical practice. In their lectures, both Professor Sleeman and Professor Catherine Evans acknowledged the importance of research funding in their early careers from CS International.
From womb to tomb: how a developmental biologist found palliative care by Professor Katherine Sleeman
Professor Katherine Sleeman is the Laing Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, at the Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London.
She graduated from University College London Medical School with a BSc in Developmental Biology. Following general medical training in London, and a PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research, she joined the Cicely Saunders Institute as an NIHR Clinical Lecturer in palliative medicine (2010). She was subsequently awarded an NIHR Clinician Scientist Fellowship (2016-2021), and in 2021 became the inaugural appointee to the Isobel Laing Michal Galazka Chair in Palliative Care, funded through an endowment from the Kirby Laing Foundation and Cicely Saunders International.
Katherine’s research uses a variety of methods, particularly routine data analysis, and focuses on the intersection between palliative care and policy. She leads the Marie Curie Better End of Life programme, and co-leads the Covpall Care Homes study. She is the executive lead for Reach and Impact at the Cicely Saunders Institute. In 2019 she received the inaugural Women in Palliative Care award from the European Association of Palliative Care, and in 2020 she received a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust fellowship to strengthen public and policy engagement in palliative care.
From curious undergraduate community nurse to Professor of Palliative Care; my thousand mile journey that began with a single step by Professor Catherine Evans
Catherine Evans is a Professor in Palliative Care and Honorary Nurse Consultant. Since 2011, she has held a joint post between the Cicely Saunders Institute and Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. She has pursued a successful clinical-academic career as a nurse securing NIHR personal fellowships on the integrated clinical academic programme. She was appointed in 2022 as Deputy-Director of the King’s Clinical Academic Training Office.
Catherine leads a programme of research on new models of care integrating palliative care in community healthcare and social care for older adults with multimorbidity, including dementia and frailty. Catherine co-leads a major research programme called Empowering Better End of Life Dementia Care (EMBED-Care), and the CovPall Care Homes study on the care home response to meet palliative care needs during COVID-19. She is the executive lead for public and community involvement in research at the Cicely Saunders Institute. Her work has built novel infrastructure for meaningful involvement in research for people affected by serious illness.