Irene Higginson

Professor Higginson, OBE, is Executive Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care and Faculty Vice Dean (Research). She is also Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London, the world’s first purpose-built Institute of palliative care, integrating research, education, clinical services and support and information. She is an NIHR Senior Investigator (now Emeritus) and in 2013 was awarded Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences for her contribution to the field.

Professor Higginson has active research programmes investigating treatments, symptom management, access and services in palliative care. She has published over 700 articles in peer-reviewed journals, plus several books. Her research interests and publications are in; quality of life and outcome measurements; evaluation of palliative care especially of new services and interventions; epidemiology; clinical audit; effectiveness; psychosocial care; symptom assessment; breathlessness; cachexia/anorexia; and elderly care.

Professor Higginson is Scientific Director for the charity Cicely Saunders International. She is currently very involved with symptom management; palliative and end-of-life care for COVID-19 patients.