Associate Professor | University Hospital Clermont-ferrand | France
Dr. Virginie Guastella is a distinguished physician and researcher specializing in palliative care and pain management. She holds a Doctorate in Medicine and an Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR) focused on opioid analgesics and cancer pain. She currently serves as Head of the Palliative Care Unit at CHU Clermont-Ferrand and as Associate Professor in Palliative Medicine at the University Clermont Auvergne, leading the UIC “Douleur, qualité de vie et maladie grave” within the GRUIC “Douleurs chroniques et thérapeutiques.” Her clinical work emphasizes optimizing pain management, end-of-life care, and therapeutic support for patients with advanced illness, while her research explores critical areas including opioid misuse, the integration of virtual reality and music care in palliative settings, and early detection of chemotherapy-induced neuropathies. She has supervised over 24 medical theses and numerous master-level projects, contributing significantly to clinical education, and is a prolific author with 20 international peer-reviewed publications, multiple national articles, and several book chapters addressing topics from opioid prescribing practices to patient and caregiver experiences in palliative care. Beyond research and clinical responsibilities, she actively participates in national and regional committees, contributes to guideline development, and advocates for palliative medicine education and ethics. Through her combined contributions in research, education, and clinical practice, she has played a pivotal role in advancing patient-centered care, promoting evidence-based practices, and improving the quality of life for patients facing serious illness, establishing herself as a leading figure in palliative care and pain management. She has 485 citations from 41 documents with an h-index of 9.
Profiles: Scopus | ORCID
Publications
1. Lawton, G., Calvel, L., Perceau-Chambard, E., Guastella, V., Economos, G., & Evin, A. (2025). Career trajectories after palliative care training: A national e-survey of medical interns in France.
2. Klaeyle, D., Calvel, L., Perceau-Chambard, E., Guastella, V., Economos, G., & Evin, A. (2025). Teaching palliative medicine in the medical school clerkship in France: A national e-survey.
3. Guastella, V., Lambert, C., Lafforgue, A., Metretin, P., Verstreate, A., Watelet, S., Perceau-Chambard, É., & Lautrette, A. (2024). Withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatments in the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Guastella, V., Delorme, J., Chenaf, C., & Authier, N. (2022). The prevalence of off-label prescribing of transmucosal immediate-release fentanyl in France. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
5. Preux, C., Bertin, M., Tarot, A., Authier, N., Pinol, N., Brugnon, D., Pereira, B., & Guastella, V. (2022). Prevalence of opioid use disorder among patients with cancer-related pain: A systematic review.