Sean Hughes

Dr Sean Hughes is a Senior Research Associate at Lancaster University's Faculty of Health and Medicine, working within the Health Research department. His primary affiliation is with the International Observatory on End of Life Care, where he contributed to teaching on the blended learning PhD program between 2015-2021. His research focuses on palliative and end of life care systems, psychosocial support for terminal patients, and the specific needs of LGBT+ populations. Current projects include a EU-funded MyPal initiative (2019-2022) exploring technology-enhanced patient-professional feedback loops, and a 2024 study on advance care planning preferences at the Rosemere Cancer Centre. He has supervised seven PhD completions and co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications.

Key research themes include service organization, patient-professional interactions, and bereavement interventions. Methodologically, he specializes in qualitative and mixed methods, including action research and grounded theory. His work has addressed topics such as integrated palliative care pathways across Europe, cottage hospice models, and cultural variations in end-of-life care preferences. Hughes also serves on the EAPC Task Force for LGBT+ palliative care improvement and reviews for major palliative care journals.

Notable past projects include leadership on the pan-European InSup-C study (2013-2016) examining best practices in advanced cancer care, and a 2019 action research project developing new hospice care models. His PhD research (topic: continuity of care in advanced cancer) highlighted gaps between policy and practice in service delivery systems.