The Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC) is devoted to promoting and developing interdisciplinary research that addresses the medical, psychological, social, legal, ethical, cultural and religious problems related to psychosocial and palliative care of individuals with advanced and terminal disease.
Our vision is to be an interdisciplinary, collaborative center for research and education focused on the psychological, physical and social consequences of life threatening and advanced disease. We have established and will continue to maintain excellence in:
Research – foster the emergence of collaborative research nationally and internationally
Knowledge Mobilization – support translation of knowledge from research to inform public debate, health policy , and decision making in health care
Education – enhance knowledge and research skills relevant to palliative and supportive care
The educational aims of GIPPEC are to enhance research skills relevant to palliative and end-of-life care in both faculty and trainees by:
GIPPEC creates a convergence of academic faculty from multiple departments and divisions and fosters the emergence of collaborative research teams at the University of Toronto and with national and international partners. It facilitates the application and integration of methods from the social sciences, humanities and from the health sciences to problems related to palliative and end-of-life care and to the conduct of multicentre and interdisciplinary research. Collaborative research includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the development and evaluation of:
The critical mass of investigators locally, nationally and internationally allows for the generation of thoughtful and evidence-based contributions to policy, practice and education of health professionals and the general public. Education of the public will be linked to the faculty of GIPPEC and to the visiting scholars invited to participate in meetings organized for the general public and organizations and groups with a special interest in palliative and end-of-life care.
An important outcome for GIPPEC is the measurable influence of research emanating from this Institute on policy and on the availability and quality of palliative and end-of-life care locally, national and internationally. This will occur as a result of the engagement of scholars and international partners from the Institute with key stakeholders in palliative and end-of-life care locally, nationally and internationally, including governmental and other decision-making health care bodies, professional organizations, public policy leaders and judicial bodies.
The knowledge generated from GIPPEC allows scholarship and evidence to enter the public debate and decision-making in health care and by legislative bodies in a domain that has often been dominated by rhetoric and strongly held personal opinion.