I am delighted to share the report from my Churchill Fellowship which has been published online today. In 2023 I travelled to the USA and the Netherlands to research applications of artificial intelligence in palliative care.
Title
Advancing Palliative Care: Artificial Intelligence & Design Insights from the USA and the Netherlands
In addition to my written report, I have also made a YouTube video and podcast. I also include my keynote talk from 2023 Hospice UK conference.
The Churchill Fellowship is an overseas travelling fellowship to support UK citizens to travel the world in search of innovative solutions for today’s most pressing problems. The Churchill Fellowship was founded by public donation in 1965 as the living legacy of Sir Winston Churchill for the UK.
The aim of my Fellowship
I aim to research how technology, data and design can support healthcare for people who with serious illness. This is because the UK population is ageing and palliative care need will increase by 42% by 2040; demand for care wil be challenging for NHS to meet without innovation. Palliative care need in the UK has been exacerbated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. When used well, digital health improves access to healthcare services; however, many barriers prevent meaningful use of these technologies in the UK. Through this Fellowship, I will travel to the Netherlands (Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam; Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Delft and IKNL, locatie Utrecht) and the USA (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University, Boston) to meet professionals from a variety of disciplines who are using applications of design, technology and data in palliative care that can benefit the UK.
My travels (eventually) begin!
The My trip has been delayed due to the COVID19 pandemic, but I have finially commenced my trip to the Netherlands in May 2023! Firstly, I visited the Nemo Science Museum in Amsterdam which housed a fantastic exhibition about death and dying. The section titled ‘Over de dood’ (About Death) takes people through a journey about people’s views and experiences of death and dying from different cultural perspectives. The exhibition uses a mix of text, images and lighting to provide a thoughtful and emotional experience about death and dying, from a societal and human persepctive rather than a medical one. I really loved the design of the exhibition, with its inclusion within a family science musuem but also located within the ‘Hoe word ik ouder’ (How will I age?) section of the musuem, which presented positive messages about aging.
Next stop is to visit Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), where I will deliver a seminar about my research and will meet designers and engineers to learn about their excellent work.
I will provide updates about my progress in further blogs and I will record a podcast to summarise the findings of my trip.
My Research interest
The evaluation of technology to support care for patients with advanced disease.
Examples of my interests for the fellowship
Telehealth
Architecture and design in healthcare / palliative care
Technology to support care in serious illness
Design in healthcare and palliative care
Digital legacy (e.g., how digital data is managed after death)
Virtual reality
Social robotics and healthcare / palliative care
Use of mobile devices, apps, wearable devices to support healthcare /palliative care
Amara Nwosu 