Luc Deliens

MSc, MA, PhD – Medical Sociologist 

Prof Luc Deliens, is professor emeritus of Palliative Care Research at the VUB and Ghent University in Belgium and Adjunct Professor at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. He is member of the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium. Since 2000, he is the founding Director of the interdisciplinary End-of-Life Care Research Group of the VUB and Ghent University, in Belgium (www.endoflifecare.be). Until 2024, he was chairing the Centers of Expertise on Palliative Care of the universities in Flanders-Belgium. 

Internationally, he has partnered in and coordinated several EU funded research projects (e.g. EURELD, PRISMA, EURO IMPACT, PACE, ACTION, DIADIC, MyPath, EU PAL-COPD). He is President of Public Health Palliative Care International and member (until 2024 chairing) of the Reference Group on Public Health and Palliative Care of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) and until 2023 he was Co-Chair of the EAPC Research Network.

His work has been supported by grants from the European Commission, FWO Research Foundation – Flanders, IWT the Flemish Government Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology, KoTK Cancer Society of Flanders, DWTC the Belgian Federal Ministry of Science Policy, the Department of Science Policy of the Brussels Government, VWS the Dutch Ministry of Public Health, ZONMW the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, OZR Research Fund of the VUB, BOF Research Fund of Ghent University, King Baudouin Foundation and other leading medical and health charities. 

Prof Luc Deliens has published over 600 papers and book chapters, many in high impact journals or by leading publishing companies. He received several prestigious scientific awards for his work, e.g. in 2005 the Award De Beys for his medical research with a social dimension by the King Baudouin Foundation, in 2009 the Honorary Chair of the Flemish Cancer Society (VLK-Leerstoel), in 2019 the Award for Societal Dissemination of Research by the VUB university in Brussels, in 2022 the GW Hanks Award for outstanding research in palliative care, by the European Palliative Care Research Centre. 

He is associate editor or editorial advisor for many international journals, e.g. Palliative Medicine, Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, Palliative Care and Social Practice. He is also advisor or review board member of research grants agencies and science foundations, e.g. FWO Research Foundation – Flanders, Swiss National Science Foundation, Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZONMW), Dutch Cancer Society (KWF), and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).