Harvey Max Chochinov is a Canadian academic and

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

from Winnipeg who specializes in palliative care. As of 2016, he was a Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba. He was offered an appointment to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

in October 2016 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but ultimately declined to take his seat for "personal, family, and professional reasons" in February 2017.

Career

Chochinov is a leading expert in palliative care, with a focus on the dignity of patients, proper communication, and existential suffering. He developed dignity therapy, which is currently used by doctors worldwide as its benefits for patients at the end of life, relatives and health professionals have been proved. Dignity therapy involves creating a narrative document with the dying patient that gives them the chance to reflect on their life experiences. He was a co-founder of the Canadian Virtual

Hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

, which serves as a resource centre for anyone involved with palliative care. He is a distinguished professor of psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and the director of the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit at CancerCare. In 2012, Chochinov won the

Canadian Medical Association The Canadian Medical Association (CMA; french: Association médicale canadienne, AMC) is a national, voluntary association of physicians and medical learners that advocates on national health matters. Its primary mandate is to drive positive ch ...

Frederic Newton Gisborne Frederic Newton Gisborne (8 March 1824 – 30 August 1892) was a British inventor and electrician. Born in Broughton, Preston, Lancashire, England, he left England in 1842 for a trip around the world, finally settling in Canada in 1845. By cl ...

Starr Award, for his contributions to palliative care. In 2015, Chochinov chaired the ''External Panel on Options for a Legislative Response to

Carter v. Canada ''Carter v Canada (AG)'', 2015 SCC 5 is a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision where the prohibition of assisted suicide was challenged as contrary to the ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms'' ("''Charter''") by several parties, includi ...

'' which informed eventual legislation on medically-assisted death. Chochinov was himself an opponent of medically-assisted death. In November 2015, Chochinov was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada for his work on improving

end-of-life care End-of-life care (EoLC) refers to health care provided in the time leading up to a person's death. End-of-life care can be provided in the hours, days, or months before a person dies and encompasses care and support for a person's mental and emotio ...

for Canadians. In April 2016, Chochinov was named the University of Manitoba's first research chair in palliative care medicine.

Senate appointment

On October 27, 2016, Chochinov was announced one of the successful applicants to fill three Manitoba vacancies in the

. A statement from the Office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted Trudeau intended to recommend the appointment of Chochinov and other selectees to Governor General David Johnston and that they would sit as independents. As of December 6, 2016, all new senators from that intake round other than Chochinov had been formally summoned to the Senate. On February 2, 2017, the Privy Council Office made public that Dr. Chochinov had advised the Prime Minister that he would not accept the appointment to the Senate, citing "personal, family and professional reasons.""Trudeau appointee for Manitoba Senate seat turns down the job"
CBC News, February 2, 2017.

References

Living people Canadian psychiatrists University of Manitoba faculty Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Manitoba Year of birth missing (living people) {{psychiatrist-stub