Stein Kaasa, MD, PhD

Professor of Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Oslo
Head of Department, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital
Director of the European Palliative Care Research Centre, PRC, Oslo University Hospital and Oslo University, Norway
Chair of the ESMO Designated Centres Working Group

Stein Kaasa is an MD with specialisation in medical oncology, radiotherapy and palliative medicine. In 1993 he was appointed as the first Professor in palliative medicine in Scandinavia and he was one of the founders of the palliative care unit in Trondheim and founder of the European Palliative Care Research Centre (PRC).

He has been the National Cancer Director in Norway, president of EAPC, the leader of the EAPC Research Network, the coordinator for earlier EU-funded projects, and now the “MyPath” project. He is also present involved in several research collaborative and international partnerships on research and policy development. Professor Kaasa has been an important advocate for evidence-based practice and has worked extensively to get palliative care research on the agenda, both nationally and internationally.

For the last decades he has also been involved in the development of national and international guidelines for cancer treatment.

Currently he is head of department of Oncology at Oslo University Hospital, one of the larger cancer centres in Europe and an OECI designated centre, and Professor of Oncology and Palliative Medicine at the University of Oslo.

Professor Kaasa has published 544 articles and book chapters with an H index of 97. He has authored the Nordic Textbook of Palliative Care and is co-author and editor of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine.