Lien Centre for Palliative Care

In a rapidly aging society, the need for palliative care rises with each passing year.

The Lien Centre for Palliative Care is a collaboration between the Lien Foundation and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School. The first of its kind in Asia, it aims to build up a strong pool of palliative healthcare professionals to enhance service delivery through enlightened research. The Center leverages upon the research, educational, clinical and philanthropic leadership and expertise of the following institutions: Lien Foundation, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, the National Cancer Centre Singapore and Singapore Health Services (SingHealth).

The Lien Foundation initiated the setting up of the Center with a S$7.5 million commitment over a period of five years. The sum will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Singapore government. Additional resources are provided by the National Cancer Centre Singapore and SingHealth.

Focus of Work

The Lien Centre for Palliative Care has research programs looking into clinical, social and cultural aspects of palliative care in Singapore and Asia. It also focuses on palliative care education and development of healthcare professionals.

The Center has access to the Health Services Research capabilities of the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School and nurtures collaborations with Duke University’s internationally renowned end-of-life and palliative care research programs. The Center also benefits from the active involvement of the clinical team at the National Cancer Centre Singapore and administrative support from SingHealth.

The programs are aimed at improving services and care at the end of life by:

• Helping to inform decision-makers on health care policies affecting the end of life.
• Studying the needs and cultural differences in the various ethnic communities in Singapore
• Broadening the base of trained expertise in palliative care and research

The Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School owns and manages the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, which reports to a board chaired by Dr Jennifer Lee (currently Chairman, Agency for Integrated Care).