Prof. Karen Ryan is UCD Clinical Professor and Consultant in Palliative Medicine at St Francis Hospice Dublin and the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, and co-National Specialty Director for Palliative Medicine. She served as Clinical Lead of the National Clinical Programme in Palliative Care from 2010 to 2018. Her research interests centre on health services research, with a particular focus on palliative care for the ageing population and for people with intellectual disabilities. Committed to bridging the gap between research, policy and practice, she chaired the National Clinical Effectiveness Committee from 2017 to 2021 and the Steering Group that developed the National Adult Palliative Care Policy (Department of Health, 2024).