Shannon Calvert

Shannon Calvert is a passionate advocate for consumers, carers and families, collaborating with organisations by facilitating person-centred, compassionate – oriented and integrated health care through systemic advocacy, service design, delivery, and evaluation.

She identifies as a lived experience professional, having experienced a severe and enduring illness for many years. In 2014–2015 she cared for her mother who was receiving palliative care until her end of life. After the death of her mother, Shannon began work as a volunteer in Palliative Care, working on a Palliative Care Ward, as a Cancer Council Peer support and in a private capacity where she provided consultancy, mentoring and lived experience education to promote compassion, dignity, and respect in treatment for individuals, their carers and services involved during a person’s end of life care.

Shannon currently is a Consumer Consultant and Trainer, having qualified in Cert IV Mental Health – Peer Work and as a Lived Experience Educator. She has collaborated with clinicians, researchers and services, providing lived experience insight and perspective, and to support an understanding for staff and students during their education and development training.

Shannon has presented papers and workshops at local, national and international conferences on topics such as the importance of compassion in treatment; consumer and carer engagement; her personal lived experience as a carer of her mother, as well as being a consumer and patient herself.

Shannon currently sits on several boards, committees and working groups, mainly Palliative Care, Mental Health and Eating Disorder Specific. This is her second year as Vice President of Palliative Care WA, she is a member of the PCA National Policy Advisory Committee, and was a member on the Oceanic Palliative Care Conference Program Committee 2019.

If you would like to engage Shannon or another consumer representative for your project, please complete an application form and return to projects@palliativecare.org.au or call 02 6232 0700.