Hull York Medical School appoints Professor of Palliative Care

Professor of Palliative Care, Fliss Murtagh

Fliss Murtagh, a leading expert in palliative and end of life care, has been appointed as Professor of Palliative Care at Hull York Medical School.

Fliss qualified in medicine in the UK in 1986, after which she worked in general practice for 10 years. During this time her interest in community-based palliative medicine grew, fuelled by her work at a local hospice, which she undertook part-time. Gradually this interest developed and she moved into palliative care full time – undertaking specialist training in palliative medicine and embarking on a Masters, and later a PhD, in Palliative Care.She says; 

I am delighted to have joined Hull York Medical School particularly at such an exciting time for the University of Hull. The investment by the Wolfson Foundation to create the Wolfson Palliative Care Research Centre, which will be situated within the new Institute of Clinical and Applied Health Research at the heart of the £28 million Allam Medical Building at the University is very exciting and presents great opportunities for further research and collaboration.

As a palliative care doctor, Fliss is experienced in providing palliative care to a wide range of people with far advanced disease and their families. She has published extensively on palliative and end of life care needs, especially for those with advanced kidney disease. Fliss joins the School from the internationally renowned Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care at King’s College London, where she was at the forefront of research that informed the development of palliative and supportive care for those with end-stage renal failure, both nationally and internationally. She is currently leading a National Institute for Health Research programme grant developing a casemix classification for palliative care, and is very active in supporting the palliative care sector to implement patient-centred outcome measures, in partnership with organisations such as Hospice UK. This research will continue and develop further in Hull.

Professor Una Macleod, Dean of Hull York Medical School, believes her appointment will strengthen the School’s expertise in this area. She says, ‘supportive care, advanced disease and end of life issues are strong themes for the medical school and myself and my colleagues have been undertaking research into this area for a number of years. The appointment of Fliss as Professor of Palliative Care will enable us to further our work in this area – collaborating with colleagues across the School and in the Universities of Hull and York to ensure we continue to develop understanding and interventions which will have an impact upon the lives of those patients with life limiting illnesses within our region and beyond’.