Research interests and publications are in the following areas:

• quality of life and outcome measurements
• evaluation of palliative care especially of new services and interventions
• epidemiology
• clinical audit
• effectiveness
• psychosocial factors and care
• symptom assessment
• cachexia/anorexia
• elderly care.

Improving services for patients and families by researching ways to measure and improve services. A group of studies supported by NHS R/D and other funders are testing more humane, dignified and cost effective measures and models of palliative care through the development and evaluation of services, systematic literature reviews and measurement of treatment and patients' quality of life. Studies follow the MRC framework for the evaluation of complex interventions, and are determining the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of general palliative care, specialist palliative care, day care and carer support in cancer and (most recently) non cancer conditions. Studies are also determining the effect of culture and ethnicity on services received and sources of support. In addition to forging research into models of palliative care for cancer patients and their carers, a particular strand develops and validates measures of outcome and quality of life.

Improving the assessment and treatment of symptoms commonly experienced by terminally ill patients through focused clinical research. This strand, funded by The Cicely Saunders International and other charities, is investigating more effective ways to prevent and treat difficult to control and poorly understood clusters of symptoms. We have determined the prevalence and epidemiology of neuropathic pain in cancer and diabetes, and compared treatments. We are commencing a 5 year programme to investigate, develop and test non pharmacological interventions to control breathlessness in terminal and far advanced illness for patients in the community.

Palliative care, quality of life, symptoms, epidemiology, health services research, measurement.

Professor Higginson is currently Professor of Palliative Care and Policy at the Cicely Saunders Institute, Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care, and Director of the Better Health & Care Hub at King’s College London. 

Professor Higginson is a clinical academic, active in research, education and clinical palliative care. She is trained and accredited in both Public Health and in Palliative Medicine. She leads several active research programmes, including the EU-funded BETTER-B programme. This initiative brought together a unique, multidisciplinary consortium of clinicians and outstanding scientists from respiratory, palliative, geriatric, and rehabilitation fields, alongside statisticians, trialists, health economists, health service researchers, and patient and consumer groups from six European countries. The programme aimed to advance international research into breathlessness and foster innovative collaboration for the future. Other research includes outcome measurement, including the Palliative care Outcome Scale, evaluation of treatments and therapies, and health care and services research. Professor Higginson is recognised by The Web of Science as a Highly Cited Researcher, an award that acknowledges the world’s most influential researchers whose work ranks in the top 1% in their field by citations and is among the top 30 female scientists in the UK. She has extensive experience in leading and delivering national and international multidisciplinary collaborations in palliative care. 

She supervises PhD students, especially in areas related to her research, teaches on the MSc programme in palliative care, teaches undergraduate medical students - particularly doctors in training for their scholarly projects.  

She holds honorary consultant positions at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, and Lewisham Hospital, where she primarily works in palliative care. 

In addition to her academic and clinical roles, she serves as the Funding Committee Chair for the Health and Social Care Delivery Research Programme (HSDR) at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). She is also the Scientific Director of Cicely Saunders International (a charity), and an NIHR Senior Investigator (Emeritus).  

From 2021 to 2024, she served as Executive Dean of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care. Prior to that, she was Vice Dean (Research) of the faculty. From 2014 to 2018, she held the position of Director of Research and Innovation at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. From 2002 to 2005, she served as Dean of Graduate Studies in the School of Medicine at King’s College London, where she led the development of MSc and PhD programmes. 

Before joining King’s, Professor Higginson was a Senior Lecturer and Consultant at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Director of Research and Development at Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster Health Authority.