Samar Aoun

Samar Aoun is a Professor and Perron Institute Research Chair in Palliative Care at The University of Western Australia (UWA) and the Perron Institute. She holds a PhD in Medical Demography from London University and has been a palliative care researcher since 2004. Her work focuses on public health approaches to end-of-life care, with a particular emphasis on underserved populations such as family caregivers, individuals with MND, dementia, and terminally ill patients living alone.

Her research has influenced national and international policies, including contributions to the UK National Bereavement Alliance, NICE guidelines, and Palliative Care Australia. She chairs the South West Compassionate Communities Network in WA and leads the Compassionate Communities Connectors model, adopted by healthcare services. She reviewed WA’s palliative care needs, guiding WA Health’s policies.

Prof Aoun has contributed significantly to MND research, including improving diagnosis practices and service provision. She has served on the Australian Health Ethics Committee and chaired NHMRC grant panels. She chairs the MND Association WA and holds roles in MND Australia and MND Research Australia.

• Education: PhD in Medical Demography, London University

Key Research Interests:

• Palliative care policy and practice
• Bereavement support models
• Compassionate communities frameworks
• MND patient and caregiver support

Grants & Awards:

• ARC Grant (2019–2025): Assessing Indigenous cancer caregivers' needs
• Centenary Medal (2003)
• Medal for Excellence in Person-Centered Healthcare (2018)
• 2023 WA Australian of the Year

Labs/Teams:

• South West Compassionate Communities Network
• MND Research Collaborations (Australia)