Piret Paal

Piret Paal is an Associate Professor of Medical Anthropology at the Institute of Cultural Research, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Tartu, with a significant international academic presence, including visiting professorships in Slovenia and Australia. She also holds a part-time professorship in palliative care at Paracelsus Medical University and has held senior research and educational leadership roles in Austria and Germany.

• University: University of Tartu
• School: Faculty of Arts and Humanities
• Department: Institute of Cultural Research
• Academic Rank: Associate Professor
• Email: piret.paal@ut.ee

Her educational background includes a PhD in Folkloristics from the University of Helsinki (2011), a Research Master’s from the University of Tartu (2004), and a habilitation in nursing science (palliative care) completed in 2021. Her research is deeply interdisciplinary, focusing on raising societal awareness of end-of-life issues, improving death literacy, and enhancing palliative and spiritual care through innovative education and global collaboration.

Her recent publications (2024–2025) reveal a strong thematic focus on spiritual care in neuro-oncology, ALS, and Parkinson’s disease; the integration of chaplaincy into healthcare teams; digital tools for spiritual care education; and palliative care training in medical and nursing curricula. These works employ qualitative, scoping, and mixed-methods approaches, often in international collaborations, and are published in high-impact journals across palliative medicine, gerontology, medical education, and religion and health.

Her scientific recognition includes the 2024 INPCS Tare Cook Award for innovation in neuropalliative education and the 2024 Austria Palliative Care Society Science Award, along with being named Teacher of the Year in 2021 and 2022.

She is actively involved in academic leadership, serving as Associate Editor for the Journal of Religion and Health, Co-Chair of the Educational Reference Group of the European Association for Palliative Care, and Scientific Lead of the Master of Palliative Care at PMU, Austria. She leads the major Estonian research project ARS MORIENDI ESTONIA 2030 and has served on advisory boards for the EU Horizon Health program and Deutsche Krebshilfe.

While the text does not list specific advisees, her supervision of research and educational initiatives indicates an active mentoring role in the field of palliative and medical anthropology.