Light in the Darkness: Christian hope and end of life care
About
With ‘voluntary assisted dying’ (VAD) now implemented in the ACT, there’s still room for care shaped by the hope of the resurrection. At this half-day conference, Professor Megan Best, an expert in palliative care, will address the impact of VAD for carers and patients. We will also consider some Christian thinking about the process of suffering and death.Program
(The event will not be livestreamed)
9.00am: Tea and coffee (provided)
9.30am: Introductions: Rev’d Dr Andrew Cameron
9.35am: Welcome and Rationale: Rev’d Dave McLennan
9.45am: Living with VAD – the impact on end of life care: Professor Megan Best
10.30am: Morning tea (provided)
11.00am: Christian theology and the end of life: Rev’d Dr Andrew Cameron
11.15am: Living with VAD – How it affects us: Professor Megan Best
12.00pm: Q&A/Plenary
12.30pm: Lunch break: byo or local cafes
1.45pm: Discussion with pastoral carers
3.00pm: Close
ABOUT PROFESSOR MEGAN BEST
PhD, MAAE, BMed (Hons, University Medal), GradDipQHR, ClinDipPallCare, ATh
Professor Megan Best is Convenor for Bioethics and a senior researcher in the Institute for Ethics and Society (IES) at the University of Notre Dame Australia (UNDA). She has a clinical background in palliative medicine. Her career focus has been on the relief of suffering and care for the vulnerable through high quality research, translation, advocacy, supervision and leadership.
After training in palliative care, she worked as a consultant for state and federal health departments developing palliative care policy for several years before returning to clinical palliative care. She has maintained a life-long interest in developing evidence-based and ethical healthcare policy, contributing to many areas of legislation.
Prof Best is known internationally for her work in Christian bioethics. She teaches bioethics at tertiary level at several institutions and is a busy and popular public speaker. She is a faculty member of CASE at UNSW; a CPX fellow; a member of the Academy of Fellows for The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity at Trinity International University in Illinois, USA; and is the founding Director of Ethicentre.
Prof Best’s research on the spiritual care of patients has influenced the development of training for healthcare professionals internationally. She is currently a member of the Executive for the Spiritual Care Taskforce of the European Association for Palliative Care; and is a past member of the boards for Spiritual Care Australia, the Anglican Defence Force; and the international Joint Research Council for chaplaincy.
She has published extensively in the areas of spirituality in healthcare, bioethics and psycho-oncology. She is the author of two books exploring ethical issues at the beginning of life and one on spiritual development in children, and is editor of the recently published :
Spiritual Care in Palliative Care: what it is and why it matters.
Edited by Megan C Best.
Available at: https://url.au.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/TDEzCNLJ89UMGVmgtjipCyiXcR?domain=link.springer.com
Date
Saturday 28 February 2026 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM (UTC+11)Location
St John the Baptist Anglican Church
45 Constitution Avenue, REID ACT 2612
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Light in the Darkness: Christian hope and end of life care
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