After a career break for children, in 1993 Louise changed her focus and re-trained in palliative medicine working with Dr Adrian Tookman at the Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead.  Linking up with Professor Michael King and the academic department of psychiatry at the Royal Free, Louise began to develop a growing portfolio of research on issues of relevance to patients approaching the end of life and their families.  By the turn of the millennium, this included grants from major funding bodies such as what is now Cancer Research UK (CRUK) and the Department of Health to conduct multi-centre mixed methods studies including clinical trials.

In January 2005 on the retirement of Dr Susie Wilkinson, Louise took over the leadership of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit which had recently become part of academic psychiatry at the Royal Free.  At that time the unit consisted of a senior research fellow, two junior researchers and two administrative staff.

Over the next nine years, Louise enabled increased investment from Marie Curie in the research team securing a Senior Lecturer in Psychiatric and Palliative Care of the Elderly – Dr Liz Sampson, two further senior research fellows, a research nurse, and specialists in methodology including systematic reviewing, statistics and health economics.  There are now 12 research posts.  When necessary those joining the team were supported to complete doctoral studies.  Strong links have also been established with the Louis Dundas Centre for Children’s Palliative Care at Great Ormond Street and the Institute of Child Health. A number of PhD students have also joined the team.  In 2013, Louise secured the funding from Marie Curie for the establishment of a new Professorial Chair in Palliative Care at UCL.

Peer review grant income for the team both from Marie Curie and other bodies such as NIHR, CRUK, Dimbleby Cancer Care, British Renal Society, Kidney Research UK, Alzheimer’s Society and BUPA Foundation has been considerable.  From 2011-2014 Marie Curie alone invested over £2million in the team funding both core posts and a major programme of work on end of life care in advanced dementia. 

Louise also fulfilled the role of research adviser to Marie Curie from 2005, and for 12 months in 2011/12 she was Acting Head of Research for the charity.  She has been involved in a number of advisory groups and national committees such as the National End of Life Intelligence Network and the research group of Together for Short Lives.

In April 2014, Louise reduced her time commitment to 2 days per week to retire fully in April 2016.  Professor Paddy Stone took up the position of Marie Curie chair.  He now leads a team of both depth and breadth both in methodological expertise and range of interest in palliative and end of life care research.