Eduardo Bruera

Eduardo Bruera, MD is F.T. McGraw Chair in the Treatment of Cancer and Professor and Chair of the Department of Palliative, Rehabilitation and Integrative Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Born in Argentina and trained across South America and Canada, Dr. Bruera is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern palliative medicine as an academic discipline. He has conducted over 200 randomized clinical trials addressing the most challenging clinical problems in advanced cancer: opioid rotation, delirium, dyspnea, fatigue, cachexia, and goals-of-care communication. His work on opioid pharmacology — including rotation strategies to manage tolerance, hyperalgesia, and neurotoxicity — has become standard oncology practice globally. Dr. Bruera has championed the use of palliative care outpatient clinics embedded within cancer centers and has published foundational trials on early consultation, advance care planning conversations, and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), the most widely used multi-symptom assessment tool in palliative oncology. He has authored over 700 peer-reviewed publications, supervised over 200 palliative care fellows, and received honorary degrees from six universities worldwide.