In 1967, after going to medical school to become a physician and many years of study and work at St. Joseph's Hospice, Cicely Saunders opened St. Christopher's Hospice in the south of London, England as the first academic hospice. It was a place where patients could go for relief of "total pain" with its physical, psychological, social and spiritual dimensions. Through the education and research mission of St. Christopher's, Dame Cicely Saunders is credited with founding the modern hospice movement. . Her contributions were recognized by the Queen of England by making her a Dame of the British Empire. She is now frequently referred to as Dame Cicely Saunders.

Refs:
1) Saunders C. The evolution of palliative care. Patient Educ Couns 2000 Aug 1;41(1):7-13   Full Text
Also published in: Saunders C. The evolution of palliative care. J R Soc Med 2001 Sep;94(9):430-2   Free Full Text

2) Saunders C. A personal therapeutic journey. BMJ 1996 Dec 21-28;313(7072):1599-601   Free Full Text