Welcome Message

Welcome

It is a great pleasure to welcome you all to the 9th Public Health Palliative Care International Conference, taking place October 6-9 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan.

I am very greatful for Hospice Foundation of Taiwan who is hosting our conference. The main theme of the conference is “Bridging Culture, Building Compassion: Innovations in Public Health Palliative Care”. Across different cultures, the development of public health palliative care faces similar challenges, although the approaches taken may differ. At the conference, we will learn from a range of cultural experiences.The 9th PHPCI Conference presents an important opportunity to strengthen engagement across Asia and support emerging initiatives in Taiwan and beyond.

Over the past decade, significant efforts have been devoted to establishing public health palliative care as a distinct field within palliative care. Public health palliative care recognizes death, dying, loss, and care as shared social responsibilities—especially among those who are able to contribute. From this perspective, the community is viewed as an equal partner in the complex and ongoing task of providing high-quality care for the seriously ill in our societies.

Our sincere thanks are due to the Scientific Committee and the Local Organizing Committee for developing an outstanding conference program. The plenary lectures, themed sessions, oral presentations, and poster sessions bring together diverse speakers from across the globe to address key issues and emerging developments in public health palliative care.

Thank you for your commitment and dedication to the field of public health palliative care. I look forward to welcoming you to Taipei, Taiwan, and to engaging with you at the PHPCI 2026 Conference.

Prof Luc Deliens
President of PHPCI

Welcome to the 9th International Public Health Palliative Care Conference, hosted by The Hospice Foundation of Taiwan.  It is a privilege to come together with colleagues from across the world who share a vision of care that extends beyond health services and into the everyday lives, relationships, and communities of people facing serious illness, dying, caregiving, death, and grief.

Taiwan is a meaningful place for these discussions. The country’s focus on innovation, policy change, community involvement, and compassionate care shows many of the values central to public health palliative care. As we meet here, we remember that palliative care is not just a clinical need, but also a social, cultural, and community effort.

This conference is an opportunity to strengthen our collaborations and partnerships across disciplines, sectors, cultures, and countries. The challenges facing our communities are shared, but so too is our collective capacity to respond with creativity, evidence, compassion, and partnership.

I encourage participants to use this conference as a space for connection, learning, and action. Some of the most important ideas will emerge in conversations between attendees, the sharing of local experiences, and the building of new collaborations.

As Vice President of Public Health Palliative Care International, I welcome your participation at our 9th conference. May our time together inspire fresh thinking, new partnerships, and a renewed commitment to creating healthier, more compassionate communities around the world.

Dr Kerrie Noonan
Vice President of PHPCI

Dear distinguished guests, experts, partners, and colleagues in palliative care from around the world, greetings to you all.

On behalf of the Hospice Foundation of Taiwan and the Organizing Committee of the 9^th PHPCI Conference, it is with great pleasure, sincerity, and honor that I warmly welcome you to this historic gathering.

The year 2026 marks a significant milestone for Taiwan. This year, the Hospice Foundation of Taiwan enters its 36^th year of advancing hospice and palliative care. Over the past three decades, Taiwan has established a strong and enduring foundation in palliative care policy and legislation. From the implementation of the Hospice Palliative Care Act to the enactment of the Patient Right to Autonomy Act, we have built a comprehensive legal framework to safeguard dignity and autonomy of individuals at the end of life.

Yet as we confront the profound challenges of a super-aged society, we recognize that the efforts of the healthcare system alone are no longer sufficient to meet the growing demands of end-of-life care. The development of community-based initiatives, the integration of palliative care within long-term care facilities, and the cultivation of local support systems all remind us of the important mission still before us. 

This year also marks a historic moment as PHPCI comes to Asia for the first time, with Taiwan honored to serve as the host country. It signifies a critical shift in our era: palliative care must move beyond the boundaries of terminal clinical care and be elevated to the level of national public health.

The core mission of this conference is to promote cross-sector integration and practical policy implementation. Together, we will explore how palliative care principles can be embedded within community public health systems, how Compassionate Communities can become a vital model for social governance, and how strengthening death literacy can empower individuals in advance care planning and decision-making. This is not only a healthcare issue, but also a reflection of social resilience and the values of human dignity and human rights.

In Tamsui, in northern Taiwan — a place rich in history and humanistic spirit — we look forward to meaning dialogue and collaboration with palliative care leaders from around the world. Together, we hope to explore how Taiwan’s legislative experience and international public health models can be integrated and transformed into policy frameworks for Asia and the global community.

Thank you for joining us in Taiwan and for partnering together to move beyond the traditional boundaries of healthcare. Together, we can build a new vision of compassionate end-of-life care—one that is people-centered, policy-driven, and community-based.

We sincerely look forward to meeting you, exchanging ideas, and shaping the future together.

Shou-Chuan Shih
Chair of the 9^th PHPCI Conference
Chairman, Hospice Foundation of Taiwan

Welcome to the PHPCI 2026.

It is my great pleasure to invite you to New Taipei City for this global gathering dedicated to advancing public health palliative care. As societies worldwide face the challenges of aging populations, chronic illness, and evolving social structures, the need for integrated, compassionate, and community-oriented care has never been greater.

Public health palliative care offers a vital framework that extends beyond clinical settings to include families, communities, and cultural contexts. It reminds us that care at the end of life is not only a medical responsibility, but also a shared social commitment grounded in connection, dignity, and compassion.

PHPCI 2026 aims to foster meaningful dialogue, interdisciplinary collaboration, and innovation across regions and sectors. We hope this conference will serve as a platform to bridge healthcare systems and communities, research and practice, and local experiences with global perspectives.

New Taipei City is a dynamic and welcoming metropolis, offering a safe and accessible environment for international participants. With its rich cultural heritage, diverse cuisine, and proximity to both urban and natural landscapes, it provides an ideal setting for both academic exchange and meaningful human connection.

As Chair of the Organizing Committee, I warmly welcome your participation. We look forward to meeting you in New Taipei City.

Professor Chun-Kai Fang, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D.
Chair, Organizing Committee
PHPCI 2026