Moving Palliative and End-of-life Care Forward

May 17-21, 2010
Tory Building TB 95
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Mary Lou Kelley, MSW and PhD (Social Work)

Professor of Social Work and Gerontology, Lakehead University; as well as Professor of Human Sciences at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Her work focuses on promoting interdisciplinary research and interprofessional education in gerontology and palliative care for health care professionals within rural, remote Northwestern Ontario, and nationally. Her research expertise is in community-based and applied health services research, using ethnographic and participatory methods including techniques such as photovoice. Her research and publications focus on health and social services for older adults, rural health, long-term care policy and delivery, palliative care, and interdisciplinary gerontology education.

Other current research projects include a five year SSHRC funded participatory research to develop palliative care in long term care homes and a program of research to develop palliative care programs in 23 First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario. She is co-chair of the End-of-Life Care Steering Committee for Northwestern Ontario.

Topic:

• A report of a nearly complete five-year study on the rural community development model