“Palliative care is not limited to end-of-life. It should begin early, at the point of diagnosis, for those with needs. This longer runway allows earlier relief of suffering and symptoms for patients and families.”

— Ms Luo Ren, Programme Director, Lien Foundation

Living with life-limiting conditions rarely affects only the patient. Families and caregivers shoulder emotional and practical demands while navigating difficult questions about comfort, dignity and support.

As Singapore’s population ages and more people live longer with complex conditions, these questions are confronting more households. At the Lien Centre for Palliative Care (LCPC), the work of answering them is anchored in research and education, equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools to deliver care earlier and more effectively.

LCPC was established in 2008 through a partnership between the Lien Foundation, Duke-NUS Medical School, National Cancer Centre Singapore, and SingHealth. The Centre was made possible by an initial S$7.5 million gift. Over the past 18 years, the Foundation has gifted S$30 million to support the Centre’s work, including the recent S$7.5 million pledge that enables LCPC to continue its mission.

Lien Foundation’s focus is on generalist palliative care. Since 2023, it has invested in programmes to upstream palliative care across medical specialties, partnering all three healthcare clusters and community care agencies. When integrated into specialist services, more healthcare professionals deliver palliative care and more families can benefit.

LCPC’s strength in research and education is central to advancing the generalist palliative care agenda, offering courses tailored for different specialties and collaborating with various specialists on research. These efforts are supported by SingHealth and the National Cancer Centre Singapore, reflecting a shared commitment to advancing generalist palliative care.

The team at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care.

“Shifting mental models and re-thinking research and education to be flexible while maintaining high quality is difficult to adopt, and even harder to embed as culture,” explained Ms Luo. "LCPC’s track record takes time and persistence to build. This speaks to the leadership of Eric Finkelstein.”

Professor Finkelstein, Executive Director at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, underscores this commitment to science: “Our research and education programmes are grounded in high quality evidence generation. The continued support from the Lien Foundation and partners enables us to advance the next phase of our research and educational programmes.”

“We are deeply grateful for the support of the Lien Foundation and other partners, and the confidence they place in our ability to meet our mission to improve the lives of patients with advanced illness and their families.”

In 2025, LCPC trained more than 1,000 professionals and conducted 17 workshops across disciplines, with training programmes expanding into areas such as renal supportive care. It also marked the 50th run of its LCPC–SHC Postgraduate Course in Palliative Medicine, reflecting sustained demand for specialist training.

50th graduating cohort of the LCPC–SHC Postgraduate Course in Palliative Medicine

Alongside education, LCPC continues to generate high-quality evidence to inform clinical practice and policy. In 2025 alone, the Centre produced 40 publications, developed decision aids and other interventions that have changed clinical practice, and influenced health policy in Singapore and the region. 

Among the Centre’s recent findings is research on advance care planning published in JAMA Network Open, contributing important evidence on how early conversations can improve alignment between patients’ wishes and the care they receive. Such work reinforces the case for palliative care that begins not at the end, but at diagnosis.

For nearly two decades, the partnership between LCPC, the Lien Foundation and other partners has been grounded in a shared commitment to strengthen palliative care in Singapore. This continued partnership will enable LCPC to continue to advance evidence and education, ensuring that patients and families are met with comfort and dignity not only at the end of life, but throughout their journey.