🎯 Vision and Mission

Mission: To strengthen the evidence-base and Knowledge Translation ecosystem for palliative care in Africa for robust public policy, action and practice in the care of patients with serious illnesses.

The Centre employs a health systems strengthening approach aligned with WHO building blocks, addressing the projected doubling of deaths associated with health-related suffering in Africa—from 3.37 million in 2016 to 7.61 million by 2060.

📋 Strategic Objectives

The Centre operates through six interconnected strategic objectives designed to address critical gaps in African palliative care research:

• Regional Research Agenda: Drive a region-wide, prioritised palliative care research agenda for paediatric and adult palliative care
• Evidence Generation: Generate robust evidence to inform APCA's core objectives and respond to information needs from partners and policymakers
• Research Infrastructure: Bring researchers together in collaborative partnerships to develop the research ecosystem for palliative care in Africa
• Capacity Building: Build capacity for professional development for researchers in Africa through targeted training and mentorship
• Sustainability: Support sustainability of palliative care research in Africa through resource mobilization and institutional strengthening
• Knowledge Dissemination: Establish an African Palliative Care journal and foster research findings dissemination for policy use

🔬 Scope of Activities

Research Participation and Collaboration

The Centre forges and nurtures partnerships to engage in regional and international paediatric and adult palliative care research. Current flagship collaborations include:

• Two annual flagship research projects (one paediatric, one adult) matched to regional priorities identified through evidence gap mapping
• Partnership with Stanford University on children's palliative care implementation science
• Collaboration with St Jude Children's Research Hospital on education and paediatric palliative care research (five-year partnership)
• Joint projects with University of Cape Town on increasing access for vulnerable populations
• Clinical trials capacity building with University of Zimbabwe Clinical Trials Unit

📚 Capacity Building and Leadership Development

Addressing the critical shortage of research skills among health care professionals, postgraduate students, and policymakers:

• Four Modular Courses: Grant writing, research design/conduct, data analysis, and writing for publication—accredited across three African regions
• Post-Doctoral Mentorship: Cohorts of five post-docs mentored by senior researchers in grant writing and publication, with target of 60% women and 70% LMIC-based researchers
• Research Seed Grants: 20 seed grants for early career researchers over two years for formative work on planned research projects
• Research Reference Working Groups: 10 special interest groups covering primary health care, emergency medicine, end-of-life care, mHealth, health economics, education, access to controlled medicines, outcome measurement, methodological issues, and children/young people

📖 APCA Journal of Palliative Care

Addressing the lack of African-led publication pathways, the Centre is establishing the first African Palliative Care Journal (launching 2026):

• Editorial board established with African and international expertise
• Affordable publishing costs for African researchers with grant-sourced waivers and discounts
• Peer-reviewed platform highlighting context-specific research from the continent
• Open access digital repository for grey literature and research outputs

📊 Knowledge Translation and Evidence Communication

Ensuring research translates into policy and practice through:

• Evidence and Gap Maps (EGM): Maintained and updated bi-annually for adult and paediatric palliative care to identify research priorities
• Regional Research Symposiums: Two annual events for dissemination and networking, starting 2028
• Policy Briefs: Two-page evidence summaries delivered to parliaments, Ministries of Health, and WHO country offices
• Community Engagement: Workshops with policymakers, media, civil society, and patients to build research literacy and advocate for evidence-based care

🗓️ Implementation Timeline

👥 Centre Advisors

The Centre is guided by a distinguished advisory board comprising African and international experts in palliative care, research methodology, and health systems strengthening:

🤝 Research Partnerships

The Centre has cultivated 29 strategic research partnerships across academic institutions, hospices, and tertiary hospitals, ensuring rigorous, context-appropriate research that informs policy and practice.

💰 Investment and Sustainability

Sustainability Model: The Centre contributes 15% of all grants received to APCA's core operations, ensuring institutional sustainability while building a self-sustaining research ecosystem through journal revenues, training fees, and collaborative funding applications.

📈 Expected Impact (2026-2030)

• High Awareness: Created among key audiences of the Centre and its work across the continent
• Digital Platform: Interactive website with Evidence Maps exploring existing research
• Network Growth: Regular webinars, events, and increased membership of the research network
• Evidence Generation: Demonstrators to evaluate models of care with published findings in peer-reviewed journals
• Academic Journal: Established African Palliative Care journal publishing peer-reviewed African research
• Attitude Shifts: Series of debates and engagement efforts shifting attitudes toward palliative care
• WHO Collaborating Centre: Status achieved for the Africa region