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Meet Dr Katie Moore
September 16, 2024
Dr Katie Moore, the chief medical officer at Very Special Kids, embodies a unique blend of medical expertise, compassionate care and a holistic approach to family wellbeing.
With a distinguished background in paediatric oncology, clinical bioethics and family therapy, Katie’s role at Very Special Kids is not just a professional appointment but a culmination of her lifelong passion for comprehensive, child and family-centred care.
Katie’s medical journey began at the prestigious Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London, where she laid the foundation for a career in paediatric oncology. After moving to Melbourne, she continued her training, completing fellowships in paediatric oncology and bioethics. Katie also gained her Masters of Clinical Bioethics and a Masters of Family Therapy.
Her work has equipped her with a profound understanding of the complexities surrounding childhood cancer and instilled a commitment to seeing beyond the immediate medical needs to the broader implications of illness on young patients and their families. Katie shares:
Over the years, I’ve found that while it’s essential to have world-class medical care, the thing that seemed to make a real difference to families was having someone in their medical team who could provide that emotional support.
In addition to her medical training and expertise, Katie is a qualified family therapist. She runs a small psychotherapy practice dedicated to families whose children have serious or life-limiting illnesses. This additional role underscores her commitment to providing comprehensive care that includes emotional support.
At Very Special Kids, Katie leads a dedicated team of doctors who provide 24/7 on call support for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
This role, she says, allows her to integrate her extensive medical training with her profound belief in the importance of addressing not just the physical but also the emotional and psychosocial aspects of care.
“In my view, the best medical care is the same as the best palliative care. It encompasses physical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual care,” Katie asserts. This philosophy aligns perfectly with the ethos of Very Special Kids, which strives to support children and their families through every stage of illness and beyond.
The hospice at Very Special Kids is a sanctuary for families navigating the immense challenges of life-limiting illnesses and paediatric palliative care. It offers medical care and a holistic environment where families can find solace and support.
“The care we provide here is not just about treating symptoms. It’s about understanding what these illnesses mean for the whole family – whether they have to move house, give up jobs, or how siblings are affected,” Katie explains.
The hospice’s approach ensures that families are not alone in their journey; they have a team of compassionate professionals walking alongside them, offering comprehensive, multi-disciplinary support tailored to their unique needs.
One of the most poignant aspects of Very Special Kids is its support for families during and after the death of a child. Katie explains,
The space that I find most moving and that I didn’t know about before I came was the Balam Balam suite where children can come after they’ve died. Families are able to be there with their child and say a slow and supported goodbye to them; I could really see how transformative that was in their grief.
Katie emphasises that the work done at Very Special Kids is not just about medical intervention but about creating a nurturing environment that celebrates life. “If anybody ever asks me what I do, I tell them it’s a joyful place to be. We focus on life to the end rather than just end-of-life care,” she reflects.
This philosophy of care is what Katie values most deeply in her role at Very Special Kids,
“Everybody, no matter what role, is really focused on bringing joy to that child while they’re here. Whether that’s for respite or end-of-life care, there are many amazing things that I would never have thought of, like family swims at the end of life, embracing the siblings and letting them find moments of normalcy and play amongst their grief, having a chef who can make meals and having a therapy dog.”
Katie concludes, “There is a beautiful phrase which I treasure – that a doctor should act as “a witness and an ally”. To me, this means tending to more than the merely physical needs of a child but also acting with compassion and empathy, bearing witness to the impact of a child’s illness on the entire family and walking alongside them to offer understanding and support in the broadest sense.
“With the team at Very Special Kids, I feel that I can put this into action every day.”