Skip to main content
KBS_Icon_questionmark link-ico
Professor Irene Higginson OBE
Image of Irene Higginson

Professor Irene Higginson OBE

  • Academics
  • Researchers
  • Supervisors
  • Clinical

Executive Dean, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care

Founding Professor, Cicely Saunders Institute for Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation . Professor of Palliative Care & Policy.

Research subject areas

  • Palliative care

Contact details

Biography

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.

Research interests

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; elderly care; COVID-19

Research profile

Description

  • MSc in Palliative Care: Applying Epidemiology in Palliative Care (7MMPAC08)
  • Research Methods & Statistics in Palliative Care (7MMPAC01)
  • PhD Supervision - open to taking PhD students in the areas of interest above;  active programme of supervising a small number of students as first supervisor.