Father Dr. Matthew Durham is leading the launch of the Saint Elizabeth National Centre for Equity and Innovation in End-of-Life Care. (PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MATTHEW DURHAM/UNIVERSITY OF WINDSOR)
By John-Paul Bonadonna
University of Windsor alumnus Father Dr. Matthew Durham (BA ’05) has been appointed Executive Director of the Saint Elizabeth Foundation, a national registered charity dedicated to strengthening compassionate, community-based end-of-life care for some of Canada’s most vulnerable populations.
In his new role, Durham is leading the launch of the Saint Elizabeth National Centre for Equity and Innovation in End-of-Life Care. The Centre will serve as a national hub focused on transforming how hospice palliative care is delivered to people who face significant barriers to accessing services. This includes individuals experiencing homelessness, poverty, substance use, criminalization as well as those living in rural, remote or Indigenous communities.
The Centre empowers care providers across Canada through evidence-informed consultation, education and training and collaborative innovation. By integrating lived experience with research and frontline expertise, the initiative aims to improve access, equity and excellence in end-of-life care.
“I believe that dignity at the end of life should be a universal right,” says Durham.
“Our work combines lived experience and evidence to support care models that meet people where they are and respond to complex life circumstances.”
A flagship example of this approach is Journey Home Hospice Windsor, operated by the Saint Elizabeth Foundation.
The Windsor-Essex site provides specialized, trauma-informed hospice palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing.
Durham earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and Philosophy from the University of Windsor in 2005 and credits his education with shaping the critical thinking, ethical leadership and commitment to community that guides his work. Those foundations have informed a career focused on advancing dignity, equity and innovation in health and social care.