Jerzy Jarosz

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Jerzy Jarosz (born 3 November 1950 in Warsaw, Poland) is a Polish physician who specializes in anesthesiology and palliative medicine. He is also active in pain management, bioethics, and medical cannabis. He helped promote hospice and palliative care in Poland and Central-Eastern Europe and was a pioneer in the medical use of cannabis for cancer pain. In 1989 he founded the second hospice in Poland and later established Poland’s first pain management outpatient clinics and a national information point on medical cannabis.

Education
- Graduated in 1974 from the Medical Academy of Warsaw with an MD.
- Specialized in anesthesiology (1980) and palliative medicine (2003).
- Earned the Doctor of Medical Sciences (PhD) in 1989.

Professional career in Poland
- Began as a junior doctor in Opoczno (1974–1977) and Prabuty, advancing to Medical Director there.
- In 1983 returned to Warsaw to work at the Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, where he served for 30 years.
- Held roles including Medical Director of the Department of Anesthesiology (1994–2004), Medical Director of the Palliative Medicine Unit (2004–2010), and Medical Director of the Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Unit (2010–2013).
- From 1999 to 2009, served as Chief Doctor of the Oncological Hospice in Warsaw, which he helped found.
- Since 2013, has worked as a physician and coordinator of Home Hospice Care and the Medical Clinic (outpatient clinic) and as Director of the Research and Didactic Center.
- In 2015 opened Poland’s first Consultation Point on the Medical Cannabis Treatment in Warsaw.

International career
- Gained diverse international experience through training and work in Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, China, and North Korea.
- In 1992–1993 served as consultant-chief of Anesthesiology for the Kuwait Cancer Center.
- Since 2011 has worked as a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), participating in numerous international missions in palliative care.

Research and publications
- Since 1975 has been a principal investigator in eight multicenter Phase III and IV studies on analgesic treatment and vascular access.
- Co-authored a book on the medical use of cannabis in pain management and founded Poland’s Information Point on Medical Cannabis Treatment.
- Since 1977 has written and co-authored many textbooks on cancer pain and palliative medicine, promoting high standards and the importance of communication in palliative care.
- Since 1985 has helped develop Polish standards and guidelines for vascular ports used in chemotherapy and contributed a chapter on vascular access in the Polish textbook Onkologia kliniczna (Clinical Oncology).

Selected works
- Monographs include works such as Leczenie bólów nowotworowych (1997) and other edited volumes on cancer pain and palliative care.
- He contributed numerous chapters on pain management and palliative care in Polish medical books and textbooks.

Academic and professional activities
- Member of the Polish Psychedelic Society.
- President of the Polish Medical Society of Marihuana and Cannabinoid Medicines.
- Founding member and council member of the St. Christopher’s Oncology Hospice Foundation.
- Regional Consultant in Palliative Medicine for the Mazovian region (2002–2013).
- Coordinator of the Palliative Medicine Program within Poland’s National Cancer Control Program (2006–2015).
- Member of the Bioethics Committee of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2011–2015, 2019–2022).
- Member of the Medical Language Expert Board of the Polish Language Council (2012–2014, 2015–2018, 2019–2022).

Jerzy Jarosz has played a significant role in advancing palliative care, hospice services, and the medical use of cannabis in Poland and beyond.