Welcome to the HEAL Project!
The HEAL Project examines how policies, healthcare systems, and social conditions shape end-of-life experiences. Our goal is to better understand why end-of-life quality varies so widely, and how policy can help ensure that all people receive care that reflects their needs and values.
We are especially interested in racial differences in end-of-life experiences. Research shows that Black patients are more likely to experience aggressive medical treatment, unmet pain and symptom needs, hospital deaths, lower satisfaction with care, and greater financial strain near the end of life. These differences are shaped by long-standing structural inequities. Through the HEAL Project, we seek to identify the factors that contribute to unequal end-of-life care and to understand how policies may reduce, or unintentionally reinforce, these differences.
