Professor Richard Harding has been appointed as the next Director of the Cicely Saunders Institute at King’s College London, taking over from Professor Irene Higginson on 1 June 2021. Richard will provide strategic and operational leadership and management to advance the Institute’s mission to pioneer the very best in palliative care and rehabilitation to benefit the care, treatments and services for the people who need it.

Richard is Herbert Dunhill Chair at the Cicely Saunders Institute and his research focuses on the global health dimensions of palliative care (particularly in sub-Saharan Africa), outcome measures and intervention development and testing. He also has a strong interest in family caregiver outcomes. Richard will be Director of the Institute in addition to his current roles as Director of the Centre for Global Health Palliative Care, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre in the Cicely Saunders Institute and Vice Dean (International) in the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care.

The Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation is the first purpose-built institute dedicated to palliative care and holds a world leading position for its research, education, clinical-academic integration, and staff development. It opened in May 2010, the result of the fundraising and development partnership between the King’s College London and the charity Cicely Saunders International.

As Director, Richard will lead on the integration of cutting-edge research, skilled multi-professional care and innovation in engagement and education central to the Institute’s mission develop and deliver the highest quality palliative care and rehabilitation.

Richard originally trained in Social Sciences and Social Work and worked as an HIV palliative care manager before joining King’s on an NHS London funded PhD scholarship in 1998. Since then, he has achieved success around the world working across research, education, policy influence and partnership collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and universities. Richard has 350 publications and currently leads studies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the UK. Early on in his career Richard was given a Visiting Fellowship to the Health Resources and Services Administration via Columbia University, where he worked with the White House National AIDS Office to develop the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme. In addition to the leadership roles he holds at King’s College London, Richard is a Board Member of the World Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, is co-Chair of the African Palliative Care Research Network, holds a visiting Chair in Palliative Care at the University of Cape Town and is a Trustee at both Marie Curie, and AIDS Impact. In 2013 Richard was awarded the African Palliative Care Association prize for leading publications in palliative care.

Richard will be taking over from Professor Irene Higginson, who is stepping down to focus on her role as Executive Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s. Irene, who has been Director at the Institute since it opened in 2010 is now a Founding Professor at the Institute and remains involved as a member of the senior team and through her programmes of research.