Professor Downing is an experienced palliative care nurse, educationalist and researcher. She is the Chief Executive of the International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) and Professor at universities in Uganda, Serbia and the UK.

She has extensive experience in Global palliative care, research and education, and is on the editorial board of ecancer, APM and the IJPN. She is passionate about nursing and nursing leadership as well as palliative care. She has worked within palliative care for over 30 years, with twenty two of those working internationally in Uganda, Africa, Eastern Europe and globally.

Professor Downing serves on the Boards of several NGOs including the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care, the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance, the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care, the African Palliative Care Association UK and ehospice. She is also an advisor to the International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care.