Professor David Oliver

Retired Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Wisdom Hospice in Rochester. Involved in the university for over 25 years and now at the Tizard Centre, with a particular interest in palliative care, end of life care and bereavement care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Other research and teaching interest is in the palliative care for people with neurological disorders.

Professor David Oliver joined the Tizard Centre as an Honorary Reader in 2013, although he has been involved with the University since 1999 initially as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the Kent Institute of Medicine and Health Sciences and as Honorary Reader at the Centre for Professional Practice at Medway.
He was the lead for the MSc in Supportive and Palliative Care. He is a tutor and supervisor for Masters and PhD students. In 2013 he started to teach on courses at the Tizard Centre, on end of life care in learning disability. He has been involved in several research projects at the Tizard Centre.

David has written and spoken widely on the palliative care of people with neurological disease, and in particular motor neurone disease. He speaks regularly at international and national congresses. He is closely involved in the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC), the International Neuro-Palliative Care Society and the European Academy of Neurology on neurological palliative care.

He is a regular lecturer at the Catholic University in Lisbon, Portugal and has been involved, as a Visiting Professor, in teaching palliative care at the Medical Faculty at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. He was awarded the Humanitarian Prize from the International Alliance of ALS / MND Associations for his work internationally and a Certificate of Merit for international co-operation from the University of Zagreb.
David has retired from a full-time appointment as Consultant in Palliative Medicine at the Wisdom Hospice in Rochester, where he worked for over 30 years. He has been a member of the EAPC Board and was Chair of the Guideline Development Group on Motor Neurone Disease at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. He is a Trustee of the Multiple System Atrophy Trust and The Fifth Trust.
David has written two books, been the principal editor for the major textbook on palliative care in MND, a section editor for a major textbook and edited seven other books, and 45 book chapters. He is the sole author of 20 papers and co-author of over 80 papers in peer reviewed journals. 

Quality of life assessment for people with IDD and dementia

End of life care, healthcare and dementia and ageing for people with IDD

PhD and Masters students

Current PhD students:

Winnie Tsang - quality of life assessment for people with IDD and dementia 

Past PhD students:

Simone Veronese - neurological palliative care
Carol Gouveia e Melo - Death anxiety and burnout in end of life care

Fellow of the Royal college of Physicians

Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners

Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology

Board Member of the International Neuro-Palliative Care Society