Professor Kirsten Auret AM is a leading academic in rural and palliative medicine, based at the Rural Clinical School at UWA, with over 20 years’ experience living and working in a regional south coast community. She has led the development of public specialist palliative care services in rural WA. Her leadership spans clinical practice, mentoring, policy advisory roles, and national outcomes initiatives, with work translated into state guidelines, Voluntary Assisted Dying implementation, and international adoption of service improvement programs. Prof Auret has worked with Perron Institute Palliative Care group on two major evaluation projects funded by WA Health, on palliative care and aged care.