Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine and CMO / Palliative Care Services- Northwest
MBBS, MSc in Supportive & Palliative Care (UK)
| Contact Campus | Cradle Coast Campus |
| Building | UTAS Rural Clinical School Burnie |
| Telephone | +61 3 6430 1642 |
| thiru.thirukkumaran@utas.edu.au |
Dr Thirukkumaran is a lecturer in palliative care for the UTAS RCS and supervises the final year medical students during their palliative care attachment in NW Tasmania.
Dr Thirukkumaran graduated from Sri Lanka, following the internship rotations; he worked in the acute medical specialities (MAU, Medical/Surgical ICUs & CCU) of the peripheral and the tertiary hospitals in Sri Lanka for four years and moved to the UK in 2003.
He started working in East Kent NHS Trust and joined the Pilgrims Hospices in the East Kent in 2004. Until March 2012, he worked as a staff grade physician in Ashford hospice site. While working in the hospice, he has completed his MSc in Supportive & Palliative Care through University of Kent.
He migrated to Northwest Tassie and has been working as a Career Medical Officer since May 2012. He has a con-joint appointment with UTAS Rural Clinical School-Burnie.
His research interests include prognostication and medical communications. He is involved in prognostication research projects in the UK and in Tasmania.
Research Publication:
Accuracy of prognosis prediction by PPI in hospice in-patients with cancer- a multi-centre prospective study BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care 2013; 0:1–6. DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000239
http://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2013/04/18/bmjspcare-2012-000239.short?rss=1
1. Posters Presented in the 9th Palliative Care Congress Conference (PCC – March 2012), Gateshead, UK.
(a) Audit on NHS Fast Track Applications: Prognostic Prediction & Preferred Place of Care / Death
10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000196.269 (Poster No: 234)
(b) Audit on “Death Rattle” (Noisy breathing at the end of life) and Usage of Antisecretory drugs
10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000196.188 (Poster No: 150)
(c) Audit on Comparison of Management of Noisy Breathing at the end of life in two hospices in UK
10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000916.199 (Poster No: 162)
Abstracts published in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care March 2012; Vol-2; Suppl-1
2. Poster presentation of the Clinical Prediction of survival in advanced cancer patients (Poster No: P0219) European Association of Palliative Care Conference (EAPC - 2011) Lisbon, Portugal
Abstract published in Palliative Medicine
http://eapc-2011.org/uploads/File/eapc_program_details12.pdf
3. Principal researcher of a qualitative study in prognostication: “The factors influencing the Clinical Prediction of Survival in Advanced Cancer patients”
Oral Free Paper Presentation in the Australian & New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine Conference, Adelaide (ANZSPAM – 2010)
Abstract published in Journal of Palliative Medicine. DOI: 10:1089/jpm.2010.9713
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/jpm.2010.9713
http://117.53.171.142/anzspm2010/pdf/Program_Outline_Brochure.pdf
4. Co-Researcher of the “Validation of Palliative Prognostic Index (a prognostic tool) in the UK”
Multi-centred Research Quantitative Study
Poster Presented in the Australian & New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine Conference (ANZSPAM – 2009)
Abstract published in Journal of Palliative Medicine.