Dr. Jeremy R Johnson MBE
BSc (Hons), MBChB, FRCP (London), FRCR (Oncology)
Emeritus Consultant in Palliative Medicine
E-mail: jeremy.johnson@karunashraya.org
Although originally trained in Radiation Oncology, Dr. Johnson has been working in Palliative Care for over thirty years, initially as Medical Director of Severn Hospice in the UK for almost twenty five of them. Since then he has been Medical Director at Alpha Palliative Care in central Kerala before taking up the post of Director of Education and Research at Karunashraya, a leading Hospice in Bangalore, five years ago.
Dr. Johnson’s main interests lie in hands-on clinical care and service development, alongside research in the areas of symptom control and analgesics, with a focus on opioids and cannabinoids. He has many publications in respected journals, books and videos and has made presentations at numerous International conferences. He has been instrumental in setting up collaborative palliative care services for patients with progressive neurological conditions in addition to those with end-stage kidney disease.
He and his wife, Penny, (a senior Palliative Care nurse) have been closely involved with Karunashraya for over twenty-five years, since before the opening of its in-patient facilities. They have long been involved with the development of Palliative Care in India and have instigated numerous group exchange visits for staff and volunteers with their counterparts in the UK. Both have taught extensively in India, have attended and contributed to every IAPC conference over the past twenty years and each, at different times, has served on the Executive of IAPC.
During his recent role at Karunashraya, Dr. Johnson instigated several multi-disciplinary training programmes, including the annual Advanced Therapeutics Course. He has mentored undergraduate, MSc and PhD students and has been a Faculty member for the Cancer Treatment Centres in India programme, an initiative of AIIMS, Delhi and the Lien Foundation, Singapore. He has also developed a smartphone app (Pallikare) for doctors working in rural areas. Since his retirement a year ago, he has maintained a role as Chief Mentor.
Dr. Johnson has been an Editorial Advisory Board member or a referee for various journals and till very recently served on the Palliative Care Council of the Royal Society of Medicine London and the International Board of the Fellowship of Rotarian Doctors and Health Professionals (Vice-chair). He has also been a contributing member of the original Clinical Consultative Committee of PALCARE.
Accolades include a “Service above Self” award, (Rotary International’s highest) and in 2013 he was honoured with an MBE from the British Queen for meritorious services to Palliative Medicine.