Dr Eduardo Bruera (2023)

Eduardo Bruera (1955, Rosario) is a medical oncologist and is considered one of the driving forces of palliative care worldwide. In 1999, he founded the Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson (Houston, TX, USA), of which he is also director. It is the largest palliative care centre in the United States. Bruera, a specialist in alleviating suffering of people with advanced disease, is also executive director of the Palliative Research Group and a professor at the University of Texas School of Biomedical Sciences.

He is part of various associations and advisory boards such as the American Board of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, the American Board of Internal Medicine, the International Association of Hospice & Palliative Care, the European Association of Hospice & Palliative Care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, the Canadian Pain Society, the Canadian Medical Association and the Argentine Medical Association. He is also a Fellow of the American Association of Hospice & Palliative Medicine and the American College of Physicians.

A pioneer in the clinical assessment of symptoms and patient needs, Bruera designed the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) in the 80s. The ESAS has been validated and translated into more than 20 languages, and used worldwide in clinical practice. The prestigious Argentine palliative care specialist has dedicated part of his research to analyse the effectiveness of palliative intervention and has concluded that good care for the patient in the final stage of their life allows the use of futile high-cost therapies to be reduced, in addition to improving patient well-being and helping them cope with their own death.

During his professional career, Eduardo Bruera has been key in the implementation of the palliative care culture around the world. He has promoted the development of programmes in developing countries in Latin America, India and different parts of Europe, and has trained hundreds of doctors, nurses and other health professionals in the supportive end-of-life patient care. Additionally, he has presented over 900 papers and is a regular guest at the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Congress and the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL) National Conference.

Since his career began, the palliative care expert has received more than 30 international awards and recognition, among which are the National Leadership Award of the American Association of Hospice & Palliative Medicine and doctor honoris causa in Medicine from the University of Montreal.

Bruera has more than 1,400 scientific publications in the main international journals of medicine, oncology and palliative care, and has published more than 30 books. His publications total is close to 40,000 citations.