Professor Downing is an experienced palliative care nurse, educationalist and researcher, with a PhD that evaluated palliative care training in rural Uganda. She has been working within palliative care for 32 years, with thirteen of those working internationally in Uganda, Africa and Eastern Europe. She is an Honorary Professor at Makerere University, Kampala and an International Palliative Care Consultant working with the International Children´s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and the Team Leader on an EU funded project to develop palliative care in Serbia. She has extensive experience in research, presenting at conferences and writing for publication, and is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Palliative Nursing (IJPN). Professor Downing serves on the Boards of several international NGOs in Africa, is on the Board of the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care and is Vice Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Children´s Palliative Care Network. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow with the Department of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, at King´s College London, England. She was the recipient of the IJPN´s Development Award in 2006.