Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Accept all cookies Reject all non-essential cookies Find out more

Coming to an End- An interactive museum experience

Thursday, 06 November 2025 to Saturday, 15 November 2025, 10am - 5pm

Take part in a self-guided museum trail, hosted at the Ashmolean Museum, exploring issues of death, dying and end-of-life care. Adapted from an innovative, award-winning trail forming part of the Oxford medical curriculum, this activity is co-created by a multidisciplinary team spanning the humanities and medical sciences divisions and including the perspectives of expert patient tutors. You can also attend a one-off public discussion event exploring death across different cultural contexts of a diverse society hosted by our panel of experts.

© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford
Unknown Artist, The Death of the Buddha, or Mahaparinirvana, grey schist, c.200 CE

Coming to an End; An interactive museum experience reflecting on end-of-life care. This is an open panel-led public conversation involving academics, museum curators, and expert patient tutors (people living with chronic neurological diseases who co-deliver teaching sessions for the Medical School) as well as a self-guided museum trail at the Ashmolean museum in Oxford that the public will be invited to take before or after the panel discussion. It will involve experts from TORCH Medical Humanities Hub, the ANTITHESES Platform and the Uehiro Oxford Institute at Oxford in dialogue with the public.

 Location- Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH

Accessibility information- Ashmolean Museum access page

Self-guided museum trail

The self-guided trail can be done between museum hours at your own convenience. 

Drop in event- No booking required

6th-15th of November, 10 am- 5pm

Panel discussion event

The panel-led public discussion event will be held on Friday 14th  of November from 1-2pm. 

Introduction by- Dr Jim Harris, Teaching Curator, Ashmolean Museum

Chaired by- Professor Dominic Wilkinson, Deputy Director Uehiro Oxford Institute and Director of Medical Ethics at the University of Oxford 

Speakers-

Dr Victoria Bradley, Consultant in and the Clinical Lead for Palliative Medicine at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Palliative Medicine.

Dr Halina Suwalowska, Social Scientist and Researcher in Global Health Bioethics at the Ethox Centre

Eleanor Kerfoot, Hstorian and DPhil candidate at Balliol College

 

Please note- Booking is required to attend the panel discussion.

Book your tickets via Eventbrite (OPENS 24TH SEPTEMBER)

 

This event is part of the Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6 - 15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see the Being Human Festival page.