University of Coimbra secures €55,000 in funding for training and research to improve palliative care in Portugal

The new Chair at the University of Coimbra (UC) aims to support and promote training and research in palliative care in Portugal. The Floriani Chair is funded with €55,000 from the Floriani Foundation, an Italian organisation dedicated for over 40 years to improving end-of-life care and support for people with terminal illnesses through the advancement of training and scientific research in palliative care.

The new Chair will be led by Bárbara Gomes, research coordinator at the UC Faculty of Medicine (FMUC) and the Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), and will run until February 2027. The priority areas that will guide the initiatives to be developed under this funding will be presented next Friday, the 22nd of March, at an event to be held at the Auditorium of FMUC Subunit 3, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.

"This new Chair will support training, research and awareness-raising initiatives in palliative care, which we hope will have an impact not only on health institutions in the Centre region but also on health services throughout the country through the training and scientific activities we will carry out," says Bárbara Gomes.

Over three years, the Chair's team will organise various face-to-face and distance training activities (such as conferences, courses and seminars) for professionals in four priority areas: primary care, paediatrics, oncology and family support.

As for scientific research, the Chair plans to work with clinical services to develop research projects, publish scientific articles and engage young doctors in palliative care.

There will be campaigns and public events to raise awareness of the importance of palliative care and the major challenges it faces. These initiatives will contribute to a better informed society about the importance of palliative care for patients, families and professionals.

"Palliative care plays a crucial role in relieving the suffering of patients and their families. It is therefore essential that health care professionals are well prepared to provide the appropriate support," stresses the coordinator of the Chair.

Gomes also points out that "the Floriani Chair in Palliative Care that we will have at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra will make it possible to train more professionals in this field, helping people to have the best possible quality of life until the end, according to their wishes".

"The scientific community plays a fundamental role in the advancement of this field by providing evidence-based information that can be used to train all stakeholders, especially health professionals and families, and thus improve patient care."

The Floriani Chair will count on the collaboration of FMUC guest lecturer, paediatrician, and coordinator of the paediatric palliative care team of the Coimbra Local Health Unit, Cândida Cancelinha; FMUC guest lecturer and general practitioner, Carlos Seiça Cardoso; FMUC PhD student and medical oncologist, Judy Paulo; and FMUC researcher and clinical psychologist, Mayra Delalibera."