Volume 24, Number 1: January 2023
Dear Readers,
Happy New Year! For those who celebrate and take time off, we hope that you are enjoying or have enjoyed the holidays.
The new year marks important changes. Firstly, you may have noticed our new logo! Although the old logo served us well, it was problematic for a few reasons, including that fact that, when small, the words were difficult to read. We worked hard to find a new one that continues to represent IAHPC’s clarity of vision and is widely recognizable. A full description of the selection process and the logo itself was in a special announcement sent in early January (see also the News section).
The year’s end also marks the end of terms for seven IAHPC board members, those pictured below. Two other board members, Roger Woodruff and Derek Doyle, have passed away. We recognize and honor these extraordinary individuals, who actively participated in the development of the IAHPC Strategic Plan, and who supported us during the pandemic with innovative ideas to keep supporting the global palliative care community. We are deeply grateful not only for their professional work, but for their commitment to palliative care and their friendship.
Chitra Venkateswaran, MD, psychiatry
Kochi, India
Eve Namisango, MD, research
Kampala, Uganda
Claudia Burlá, MD, geriatrics
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Harmala Gupta, advocate and manager
New Delhi, India
Dingle Spence, MD, clinical oncology
Kingston, Jamaica
Nahla Gafer, MD, clinical oncology
Khartoum, Sudan
Skip Radwany, MD, internal medicine
Akron, USA
We are very glad to welcome 10 new board members (read about them in the News section), and look forward to working with them for the next three years.
The end of 2022 also marked the close of the IAHPC survey on assisted dying practices and euthanasia. We have aggregated and analyzed the data, and will reveal the sometimes surprising results in an upcoming special issue of the IAHPC Newsletter that will include the survey’s main findings as well as comments and opinions by experts. Keep your eyes open for that one! And many thanks to all those who participated!
We are planning exciting new projects and programs for 2023. If you are not a member yet or your membership has expired, renew or join us to benefit from opportunities to collaborate with other colleagues around the world.
As you were probably aware from the beautiful pop-up that appeared when you visited our website in December, we implemented an end-of-year fundraising campaign. Many donations from individuals were in memory of a friend or loved one, as a gesture of gratitude for the care that they received from hospice and palliative care providers. Once tabulated, the total raised will be announced in the February newsletter.
These donations are very important to the organization, as they reflect how much impact we are really having at the level that matters most—among patients and families. We appreciate the confidence that all of our donors, members, and readers have placed in us and in our work.
As the new year begins, we take time to reflect upon the many blessings we enjoy: our members, colleagues, board of directors, donors, and friends, as well as the palliative care providers we have had the privilege to serve and, in turn, the countless patients and families around the globe we hope benefit from this work. It is in this spirit that we say thank you for your support that enabled us to progress, advancing our mission. We will strive to be better each day, and we look forward to working with you in 2023. We hope that this New Year brings happiness, peace, and health to you and your loved ones.
Until next month,
Lukas Radbruch, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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