Sheila Payne is an applied social scientist with a background in nursing. Over the last twenty years she has been involved in leading and contributing to research and teaching about research methods in palliative care. She has a special interest in end-of-life care for older people, family caregivers and bereavement support. She currently holds the Help the Hospices Chair in Hospice Studies based at the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University, UK. She is also co-director of a large five year programme of collaborative research and development called the Cancer Experiences Collaborative. Sheila has published widely in academic and professional journals.
Paula Smith is a health psychologist with a community nursing background and a special interest in family caregiving, and pain assessment and management in older people requiring supportive palliative care. She has been involved in health services and palliative care research for the last eleven years, and has presented and published her work widely. Her teaching reflects her clinical and theoretical backgrounds focusing on applied health psychology and palliative care. This has been delivered to a range of health and social care professionals at both undergraduate and post graduate levels. Paula is currently working as a Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University.