Speakers

William Dale is an internist/geriatrician and is board-certified in hospice and palliative medicine with a PhD in health policy. He serves as a Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs at City of Hope and is the George Tsai Family Chair in Geriatric Oncology in Honor of Arti Hurria at City of Hope.

A Beeson Scholar and past leader of a Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatrics, his career is devoted to cancer care for older adults with cancer, with a focus on medical decision-making, high-value care models, and quality of life in older adults with cancer.

In 2006, William established the award-winning Specialized Oncology Care & Research in the Elders (SOCARE) clinic, a geriatric clinic embedded in oncology, offering interdisciplinary, individualized, and integrated treatment for older adults with cancer.

William is a national leader in geriatric oncology, with over 200 publications, and supported by funding from NIH (NIA, NCI), American Cancer Society, and multiple foundations. He collaborates widely on interdisciplinary research that integrates the clinical and social sciences, particularly through his leadership of the Cancer & Aging Research Group (CARG; mycarg.org).

He is the lead Principal Investigator, along with Co-Principal Investigators Dr Supriya Mohile and Dr Heidi Klepin, on a R33 NIA grant, Geriatric Oncology Research Infrastructure to Improve Clinical Care. This grant originally included as a multi-PI our colleague Dr. Arti Hurria.

William has also served for over three years as the Director of the Center for Cancer and Aging at City of Hope, succeeding founding director, Dr. Arti Hurria.

Catherine Walshe is Professor of Palliative Care in the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University. Catherine has an extensive background in palliative care clinical practice, education and research. 

Prior to completing a Masters in Nursing at King’s College, London, and a PhD at Lancaster University, Catherine worked clinically for 15 years with a focus on both generalist and specialist palliative care.  

Catherine has an international research reputation in palliative care. Her research programme primarily focuses on the organisation and provision of services at the end of life. This includes trials of new interventions and models of care, especially recently focusing on the role of volunteers and peer mentors.

With a broad methodological expertise, Catherine’s studies include clinical trials, feasibility studies, qualitative research and mixed methods. She also supervises PhD students, primarily in the Lancaster University innovative blended learning PhD in Palliative Care. She also teaches widely on different aspects of research. 

Catherine has been an editor for the journal Palliative Medicine since 2008. She became editor-in-chief in 2011, overseeing the journal’s development into the premier research journal in the field.

Catherine was elected to the board of the European Association of Palliative Care in 2015, serving two terms on the board as secretary (2015-2019) and treasurer (2019-2023). She was also a trustee of her local hospice from 2013-2022, and is now vice-president of the organisation.  

Steve Pantilat is the Kates-Burnard and Hellman Distinguished Professor in Palliative Care and the inaugural Chief of the Division of Palliative Medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). 

An internationally recognised expert in Palliative Care, Steve has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers, authored more than two dozen book chapters, and co-edited with colleagues at UCSF two textbooks on palliative care titled, “Care at the Close of Life” and “Hospital Based Palliative Medicine.” He is also the author of, “Life After the Diagnosis: Expert Advice on Living Well with Serious Illness for Patients and their Caregivers”, published by DaCapo Lifelong Books in 2017.

Steve is the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors for the Palliative Care Quality Collaborative, the USA’s leading organisation dedicated to improving the quality of care for seriously ill people and their families. He chairs the Advisory Board for the Cambia Health Foundation’s Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program and is a member of the Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC) Clinical Committee.

As Co-director of the UCSF Palliative Care Leadership Center, Steve has consulted with over 300 hospitals and healthcare institutions to help them launch, grow, and improve their palliative care services.

Steve and the palliative care team at UCSF are featured in the Academy Award-nominated, Netflix documentary, “End Game” and in 2018 he gave a TEDMED talk title “Why palliative care is essential in the face of serious illness”.

In 2007, Steve was a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the University of Sydney, Curtin University, and the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. His leadership in improving the lives of people with serious illness has been recognised with a James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and the Ritz E. Heerman Award from the California Hospital Association.

Steve was named a Master of Hospital Medicine by the Society of Hospital Medicine - the society’s highest honor – in recognition of his work to integrate palliative care into hospital medicine and as a pioneer in that field. He was also named a Visionary in Palliative Care by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

He received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Society of Hospital Medicine, the Award for Excellence in Education and Training from the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and five teaching awards from the medical students at UCSF for outstanding lectures and lecture series.