Kenneth Chambaere

Prof. Kenneth Chambaere is an Interdisciplinary Professor of Public Health, Sociology & Ethics of the End of Life at Ghent University, where he chairs the End-of-Life Care Research Group. Based at the Ghent University Hospital (Building 6K3, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium), he holds the position of Professor with a specific focus on public health approaches to end-of-life issues.

• MSc in Sociology (2004)
• Postgraduate in Logic, History and Philosophy of Science (2005)
• PhD in Medical-Social Sciences (2010)

Prof. Chambaere's research spans three primary domains: end-of-life practices, community-based palliative care, and end-of-life care for vulnerable populations. His work investigates assisted dying/euthanasia legislation, palliative sedation, perinatal end-of-life decision-making, tiredness of life in older adults, Compassionate Communities initiatives, palliative home care for hard-to-reach groups, volunteerism in palliative care, and innovative palliative day care models. His interdisciplinary approach bridges public health, sociology, and medical ethics to address complex end-of-life issues.

Analysis of his extensive publication record (over 70 peer-reviewed papers) reveals a consistent focus on empirical studies of end-of-life practices, particularly examining the implementation and effects of euthanasia legislation across different jurisdictions. His work demonstrates increasing attention to community-based approaches to end-of-life care, with recent publications emphasizing Compassionate Communities and civic engagement in death, dying, and bereavement. The research shows a clear evolution from primarily studying medical end-of-life practices toward more comprehensive public health approaches that engage entire communities.

Prof. Chambaere has contributed significantly to the academic literature, including a chapter on the ethics of end-of-life decisions in the Springer Textbook of Palliative Care. His work has appeared in high-impact journals across multiple disciplines, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of his scholarship.

As a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) from 2010-2016, Prof. Chambaere researched slippery slope phenomena in countries with assisted dying legislation. His current work continues to explore the relationship between palliative care development and the legalization of medical assistance in dying, while expanding into community-based approaches to end-of-life care that empower non-professionals to support those facing serious illness, death, and loss.

Prof. Chambaere leads the End-of-Life Care Research Group at Ghent University, which operates as an interdisciplinary alliance bringing together researchers from public health, medicine, sociology, ethics, and other disciplines to advance understanding of end-of-life care practices and policies.