Washington University School of Medicine Oral Histories
Joan Marston Oral History
Interviewer
Bryan Sisk MD, MSCI
Files
Download Interview Transcript [PDF] (135 KB)
Summary
Joan Marston was interviewed by Brian Sisk on May 7, 2019 for approximately one hour and 2 minutes for the Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project.
Scope and Content
Ms. Marston introduces her career beginnings as a response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa and describes some of the memorable experiences with youth she cared for. She explains her role in the initial implementation of pediatric palliative day care and home care as well as some of the challenges around growing provider, political, and community education in South Africa. Ms. Marston then talks about her international experiences meeting other in pioneers in the pediatric palliative care field. She touches on her work in developing hospice programs as well as some of the global challenges she’s experienced while establishing palliative care programs. Ms. Marston then goes on to itemize some of the challenges she’s faced in her career and successful methods to counteract those barriers. She concludes with her vision of child palliative care to be integrated into universal health coverage and “accessible to every child’s needs.”
Biographical Information: Interviewee
Joan Marston received Bachelor of Social Science and Nursing from University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. She began her career in children’s palliative care at the height of the HIV/AIDs crisis in South Africa, which largely ignored the profound impacts on children. Ms. Marston founded one of the earliest and now the longest existing children’s hospice in South Africa, known as the Sunflower Children’s Hospice, as a response to the exponential need at the height of the HIV/AIDs pandemic. She later assisted in developing and implementing multiple palliative care services for children throughout South Africa as the Paediatric Palliative Care Manager for the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa. Ms. Marston co-founded and then became the first Chair and then Chief Executive Officer of the International Children's Palliative Care Network and remains an international and global ambassador and advocate for children who needed palliative care services She has aided many low-resource countries with their own child palliative care needs. Ms. Marston’s currently focusing on the Palliative Care in Humanitarian Aid Situations and Emergencies (PalCHASE) organization that she has co-founded which aims to analyze and deliver palliative care needs during catastrophic events. She plans to write a book on her experiences in the child palliative care field.
Biographical Information: Interviewer
Bryan Sisk, MD, MSCI is an Assistant Professor in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology and an Assistant Professor in General Medical Sciences as a member of the Bioethics Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis. He completed medical school at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his clinical training at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sisk was a clinical fellow in pediatric hematology and oncology when he initiated this Pediatric Palliative Care Oral History Project. As a trainee, Dr. Sisk had a strong interest in palliative care, the approach to the suffering of children, and the history of medicine. Prior to initiating this project, Dr. Sisk performed an in-depth review of the development of pediatric palliative care as a discipline and philosophy. This research culminated in a publication entitled, “Response to Suffering of the Seriously Ill Child: A History of Palliative Care for Children” in the journal Pediatrics. However, this historical review was limited to textbooks and publications. It lacked the personal experience of caring for these children and inspiring the development of a new clinical discipline. Inspired by David Clark’s oral history of the adult hospice movement, Dr. Sisk began to plan this pediatric oral history project.
Of note, this collection of oral histories is incomplete, and many important figures have not (yet) been interviewed. Dr. Sisk’s goal is to continue adding to this collection create a rich repository of personal insights and wisdom from leaders who changed the field of pediatrics.
Interview Date
2019-05-07
Collection Identifier
OH154-S24
Length
Approximately one hour and 2 minutes.
Restrictions
Users wishing to publish (in whole, or in part) content taken from the audio or transcript of this oral history interview must request, sign, and return a Statement of Use form to the Becker Archives. For detailed information regarding publication and use of this oral history, contact the Becker Archives (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).
Recommended Citation
Joan Marston Oral History, OH154-S24, Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives, Washington University in St. Louis.
Disclaimer
The Becker Archives provides access to this oral history interview as a record of the past. This interview reflects the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of the interview participants, which may reflect outdated, biased, and offensive views and opinions. The Becker Archives does not endorse the views expressed in this interview, which may contain materials offensive to some users.
Notes
Access to the audio recording for this oral history may be obtained via approval of the archivists at Becker Library. Contact the archives for more information (arb@wusm.wustl.edu).