Thesis directory
Contenu
The French National Platform for End-of-Life Research lists thesis work relating to this field. The latest count is 101 theses in progress and 89 theses defended since 2019.
Theses in progress
106 thesis(es)
| Thesis title | PhD candidate | Discipline(s) | Research topic(s) | Supervisor | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Care and End-of-Life Care at Home: The Impact of General Practitioners’ Behaviors on the Caregiver’s Grieving Process | Psychology | Experiences and perceptions, Grief / Bereavement, Support for relatives and carers | Axelle VAN LANDER, Michael DAMBRUN | Université Clermont Auvergne Unité de Recherche AutomédiCation aCcompagnement Pluriprofessionnel PatienT |
|
| Autonomy Put to the Test by Requests for Euthanasia: France, Switzerland, Belgium. | Joyce BRUNET-JAILLY | Ethics | Ethical issues, Death wish / Euthanasia / Assisted suicide, Autonomy for people at the End-of-Life | Pierre LE COZ, PIerre-Yves QUIVIGER | Aix-Marseille Université Anthropologie bio-culturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé |
| The Evolution of Legal Terminology in the Context of End-of-Life Care: A Comparative Study of Four Legal Systems | Rafif ZAREA | Law | Law and Legislation | Anne WAGNER | Université de Lille Centre de Recherche Droits et Perspectives du droit |
| Impact of the integrated palliative care day hospital in oncology on health status and resource utilization. | Public Health | Organisation of care | Matthieu DE STAMPA | Université Paris Saclay Centre de recherche en Epidémiologie et Santé des Populations |
|
| Phantom patients and the image of death: the role of memory in palliative care | Philosophy | Experiences and perceptions, Philosophy of death, Ethical issues | Jean-Christophe ABRAMOVICI, Claire CRIGNON | Sorbonne Université Centre d’étude de la langue et des littératures françaises |
|
| Ethical Implications of the Law on Patients’ Rights and End-of-Life Care for Decisions to Limit or Withdraw Active Treatment in the Context of Organ Procurement Under the Maastricht Category III Procedure | Political science | Organ donation and removal, Ethical issues, Limitations and discontinuation of treatment | David SMADJA | Université Gustave Eiffel Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire d'Etude du Politique Hannah Arendt |
|
| Metaphors for perinatal bereavement in French and English | Lola MARINATO | Linguistics | Grief / Bereavement | Maarten LEMMENS | Université de Lille Savoirs, textes, langage |
| From the hospital ward to the specialized care facility: diverse perspectives and social representations in palliative care | Goulvena GALLIC | Psychology | Social and cultural representations | Elisabeth GUILLOU | Université de Brest Laboratoire de Psychologie : Cognition, Comportement, Communication |
| Between Medicalization and the Process of Dying: What Role Does the Planning of Palliative Care Play in France? | Sociology | Advance planning / Advance directives | Jean-Christophe MARCEL, Jean-Pierre QUENOT | Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Recherche Sociétés, Sensibilités, Soin |
|
| Vulnerability and End-of-Life Care: A Comparative Analysis of French and Spanish Constitutional Law | Laura CASCINO | Law | Law and Legislation | Hubert ALCARAZ, Eva SAENZ ROYO | Université de Pau et Université de Saragosse Droits International, Comparé et Européen |
| Expressions of Grief on Social Media: The Transformation and Normative Pluralism of Practices and Forms of Publicizing Grief Through the Lens of Digital Media | Sociology | Grief / Bereavement | Gaelle CLAVANDIER, Fanny GEORGES | Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne Centre Max Weber |
|
| Preserving patient autonomy: the role of physicians in the adoption of advance directives in oncology | Ethics, Palliative care, Oncology | Advance planning / Advance directives, Patient support, Ethical issues | Bettina COUDERC, Florence TABOULET | IUCT-O et CERPOP, INSERM UMR 1295, Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier Centre d'Epidémiologie et de Recherche en santé des POPulations |
|
| Existential distress in the palliative care setting | Philosophy | Assessment and Management of Symptoms, Psychological and existential suffering, Pain management | Sarah CARVALLO, Régis AUBRY | Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté Logiques de l'Agir |
|
| Subjectivity in end-of-life medical decisions in intensive care: Perception and consideration of the views of relatives of patients unable to express their wishes | Ethics, Intensive care | Experiences and perceptions, Decision-making processes, Ethical issues | Marie-France MAMZER | Université Paris Cité Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers |
|
| The care community as an empowering environment | Public Health | Professional training / Teaching, Interprofessional collaborations, Autonomy for people at the End-of-Life | Jean-Philippe COBBAUT, Grégory AIGUIER | Université Catholique de Lille Ethics on experiment, Transhumanism, Human interactions, Care & Society |
|
| The Role and Place of Ethics in Light of New Trends in Medicine Regarding End-of-Life Care and Death - Dying Today. Dying Tomorrow? | Maud VOIRON | Philosophy, Ethics | Philosophy of death, Ethical issues | Guillaume DURAND | Nantes Université |
| The Impact of Narrative Practices on the Development of Professional Identity Among Speech-Language Pathology Students | Education | Patient support, Experiences and perceptions | Emmanuèle AURIAC SLUSARCZYK | Université Clermont Auvergne Activité, Connaissance, Transmission, Education |
|
| Access to healthcare and end-of-life care | Law | Law and Legislation, Health policies | Johanne SAISON | Université Catholique de Lille Centre de Recherche Droits et Perspectives du droit |
|
| The Administration of the Dead: Police Oversight of Cemeteries and Burials, 1789–1884 | Laure BUQUET | Law | Funeral practices / Post-mortem care | Grégoire BIGOT | Nantes Université Droit et changement social |
| Analysis of electrical characteristics for identifying individuals at risk of sudden cardiac death | Mariette DUPUY | Mathematics | Predictive markers of death / Prognostic factors | CHAVENT Marie, DUBOIS Rémi | Université de Bordeaux Institut de Mathématiques de Bordeaux |
Theses defended since 2019
91 thesis(es)
| Thesis title | Year | PhD candidate | Discipline(s) | Research topic(s) | Supervisor | Institution / Laboratory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A communicative approach to contemporary end-of-life care in France: dynamic interactions between public health policies, hospital communication, and clinical practices | Information and communication sciences | Communication, Health policies, Interprofessional collaborations | Brigitte JUANALS | École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) Centre Norbert Elias |
||
| Hands on the Corpse: Autopsy and Repair. A Study at a Forensic Institute | Psychology | Funeral practices / Post-mortem care | Pascale MOLINIER, Malika LITIM | Université Sorbonne Paris Nord Unité Transversale de Recherche Psychogenèse et Psychopathologie |
||
| Journalistic Writing on Death: Between Knowledge and Ignorance. Everyday Examples of a "Professionalism of Vagueness" | Information and communication sciences | Experiences and perceptions, Social and cultural representations | Adeline WRONA | Sorbonne Université Groupe de Recherche Interdisciplinaire sur les Processus d'Information et de Communication |
||
| Conceptualizing Uncertainty in Hematology: Between Hope and Unreasonable Obstinacy? : An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of 12 Interviews with Healthcare Providers | Psychology | Limitations and discontinuation of treatment, Decision-making processes | Marie-Frédérique BACQUÉ | Université de Strasbourg Subjectivité, lien social et modernité |
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| The Test of the Self: Michel Foucault and Death | Jérémy ROMERO | Philosophy | Experiences and perceptions, Philosophy of death | Frédéric GROS | Université Paris-Est Créteil Lettres, Idées, Savoirs |
|
| Who dies here and who dies elsewhere. The evolving practice of triage, from health policies to bed allocation in palliative care units | Epistemology | Health policies, Organisation of care | Céline LEFEVE | Université Paris Diderot Sciences, Philosophie, Histoire |
||
| Reflecting on Clinical Ethics Through the Work of Kostas Axelos | Alain VUILLOT | Neurosciences | Ethical issues | Régis AUBRY, Karine BREHAUX | Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté Laboratoire de recherches Intégratives en Neurosciences et psychologie Cognitive |
|
| Emergency Communication: Action Research on Art Mediation within a School Health Center | Cécile RIVIERE | Information and communication sciences | Patient support, Communication | Gérard REGIMBEAU | Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3 Laboratoire d’Études et de Recherches Appliquées en Sciences Sociales |
|
| Spiritual Issues in Palliative Care | Psychology | Spirituality and religion | Nathalie BAILLY | Université de Tours Psychologie des Ages de la Vie et Adaptation |
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| The experience of grief in young children aged 2 to 5 following the death of a parent from cancer. Studies of emotional regulation, attachment, and family functioning in young adults who experienced grief in early childhood and in young children | Psychology | Grief / Bereavement, Experiences and perceptions | Nathalie DURIEZ, Arnaud PLAGNOL | Université Paris 8 Laboratoire Psychopathologie et Processus de Changement |
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| In the Name of National Solidarity: Bringing "Personalized" Care to Public Hospitals. A Survey of Palliative Care Professionals | Sociology | End of life in a hospital/medical-social care facility, Organisation of care, Health policies | Philippe BATAILLE | École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) | ||
| A Different Perspective: Challenges of Nursing Involvement in Decisions Regarding Treatment Limitations and Withdrawal in the ICU | Anne-Sophie DEBUE | Ethics | Decision-making processes, Limitations and discontinuation of treatment | Lionel POURTAU, Jean-Daniel CHICHE | Université Paris Saclay Études sur les Sciences et les Techniques |
|
| The Study of Cremation Burials for Understanding Funeral Practices in the City of the Lemovices | Erwan NIVEZ | Archeology | Funeral practices / Post-mortem care | Pierre NOUVEL, Germaine DEPIERRE | Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté ARchéologie, TErre, HIstoire, Sociétés |
|
| Psychological Intentions and Processes in Making Decisions on Behalf of Others in Palliative Care | Psychology | Decision-making processes, Experiences and perceptions | Jean-Marc TALPIN, Régis AUBRY | Université Lumière Lyon 2 Centre de Recherche en Psychopathologie et Psychologie Clinique |
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| Care and Responsibility According to Paul Ricoeur: Perspectives for Palliative Care | Cécile FURSTENBERG | Philosophy | Experiences and perceptions, Ethical issues | Guilhem CAUSSE | Centre Sèvres Philosophie |
|
| Probability and Timing of Hospital-Based Palliative Care Utilization Among Cancer Patients in France: Findings from the Gironde Cancer Registry and the National ESME Cohort of Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer | Public Health, Epidemiology | Care pathway, Early palliative care | Simone MATHOULIN-PELISSIER, Alain MONNEREAU | Université de Bordeaux Bordeaux Population Health Research Center |
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| Dying in the Modern Age: A Sociology of Delegation | Sociology | Social and cultural representations | Cyril LEMIEUX, Catherine REMY | École des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) | ||
| “Until the very end...”: How family and professional relationships shape the careers of family caregivers: social roles, learning, and the relationship between the individual and the collective | Lisa DUCONGET | Sociology | Support for relatives and carers | Cécile CARRA | Université d'Artois Lille Economie Management |
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| Pain Management and End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes: Prevention, Proactive Planning, and Access to Palliative Care | Vincent GUION | Epidemiology | End of life in a hospital/medical-social care facility, Pain management, Advance planning / Advance directives | Yves ROLLAND | Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatier Laboratoire d'épidémiologie et analyses en santé publique : risques, maladies chroniques et handicaps |
|
| Psychological effects on a parent following the news of a loved one’s death after cardiac arrest and an early request for authorization to donate organs | Psychology | Organ donation and removal, Experiences and perceptions | Thierry BAUBET, Frédéric ADNET | Université Sorbonne Paris Nord Unité Transversale de Recherche Psychogenèse et Psychopathologie |
If you notice any inaccuracies in these two lists, if you would like to report a thesis to us or have yours included, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Last updated: July 2026
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For practice theses
Vigipallia is the documentary portal of the Centre national Soins palliatifs et Fin de vie (CNSPFV). It lists digitized dissertations and theses related to end-of-life and palliative care.
Useful links
This list features portals offering international access to digital theses:
- DART-Europe: European theses portal, is the result of a partnership of research libraries and library consortia working together to improve global access to European theses
- Theses Canada Portal: enables users to locate theses and dissertations written at Canadian universities
- RERODOC: electronic library of the RERO network in French-speaking Switzerland
- UK e-Theses Online Service (EThOS) : service provided by the British Library, offering a single point of access to theses submitted at the majority of UK universities
- DIVA: database of theses and research papers from Scandinavian universities
- Open Access Theses and Dissertations (OATD): portal set up by the library of Wake Forest University (USA), which harvests several international directories of open access electronic theses
- Trove: portal providing access to Australian digital theses