Professor Jason Boland

Jason Boland is a Professor and honorary consultant in palliative medicine at Hull & York Medical School and North East Lincolnshire. He qualified in medicine from the University of Cambridge in 1999, with an MA in neuroscience. He completed his higher specialist training in palliative medicine in Sheffield, where for his PhD he performed a systematic analysis of the in vitro effect of opioids on adaptive and innate immune function. He is collaborating on a European trial to evaluate the effect of opioids on immune and endocrine function in opioid naive patients randomised to receive weak or strong opioids.

His interests include understanding the molecular actions of opioids and how to maximise their efficacy while minimising toxicity as well as development and improvement of the delivery of palliative care. He is currently researching the effect of opioids on immune, endocrine, gastrointestinal and cognitive function, and is also involved in non-malignant lung disease research. He lectures nationally and internationally on these topics. He is on the sub-committee of an international pharmacovigilance audit which is assessing the benefits and toxicity of Haloperidol for Nausea. He is developing palliative care research in NE Lincolnshire where he is currently the PI on 2 portfolio studies.

He is the elected Chair of the Science Committee of the Association for Palliative Medicine (UK and Ireland) as well as being on their Executive Committee. He is on the organising committee for the palliative care congress and Association for Palliative Medicine conference; and leads on organising their research study days. He is an NIHR Dissemination Centre panel of expert commentators. He is on the gastrointestinal subgroup and Early Stage and Acute Toxicities Subgroup of the NCRI Supportive & Palliative Care CSG, and on the Steering Group for NIHR Themed Review on End of Life Care. He is an associate editor for BMJ Supportive and Palliative Care and is on the editorial board for the journal Palliative Medicine and for the Palliative Care Formulary. He is the editor for a evidence update blog for the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care Journal.

He regularly delivers undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, including SSCs/SSIPs, and is involved in reviewing and reshaping the palliative medicine curriculum in Hull York Medical School. He is the academic lead for palliative medicine and led the cancer block. He recently won the Postgraduates' Choice Award for the University of Hull’s Student-Led Teaching Awards and was a finalist in the Hull York Medical School phase 2/3 awards.