Who we are

Pain Canada is made up of people living with pain and pain organizations from coast to coast.

Our partners are leading advocates, researchers, clinical experts, and champions on the issue of chronic pain in Canada.

Our work

Pain Canada creates new opportunities for action from coast to coast to coast. We do this by connecting people, ideas, organizations and resources. We help researchers find clinicians; we help clinicians find patient-partners; we help care providers access education and information; we help pain organizations interact and share ideas; and we help people living with pain access help closer to home.

We also mobilize resources to build capacity throughout Canada towards a common goal: dramatically improved systems of care and support for people with pain. We’re building a movement and seek to unite a national community to develop country-wide standards, encourage relevant research, promote equity, amplify diverse voices, and champion the rights of people living with chronic pain to live the best possible life, free from stigma and discrimination.

We mobilize resources to build capacity throughout Canada towards a common goal: dramatically improved systems of care and support for people with pain.

Pain Canada partners

Alberta Health Services

Alberta Health Services Alberta Health Services (AHS) is part of Canada’s first and largest province-wide, fully integrated health system. It is responsible for delivering health services to more than 4.4 million people living in Alberta, as well as to some residents of Saskatchewan, B.C. and the Northwest Territories.

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Learn more about the Alberta Health Services
Atlantic Mentorship Network for Pain and Addictions

The Atlantic Mentorship Network builds capacity for primary care providers in the management of pain, addiction and related chronic illnesses. Its innovative programs include the first interprovincial mentorship launched in 2010, a monthly discussion series, annual workshops on key pain and addiction topics, monthly online discussions, mentor training workshops and a safe opioid prescribing course.

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Learn more about the Atlantic Mentorship Network for Pain and Addictions
Canadian Pain Society

The Canadian Pain Society brings together scientists, educators, health care professionals, and patients to foster education and research on pain mechanisms and management, and to improve access to high-quality care with the goal of preventing and treating pain more effectively.

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Learn more about the Canadian Pain Society
Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans

The Centre of Excellence works as a research centre to improve the understanding of Veteran-specific chronic pain and how best to manage it. Its mission is to foster a national network of interdisciplinary pain management centres using research and evidence-based strategies to improve care for CAF Veterans and their families.

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Learn more about the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans
Chronic Pain Network

The Chronic Pain Network is one of five networks to receive funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). Working with patients as partners, the Network supports, coordinates and synchronizes leading innovative and high-impact research with the ultimate goal of removing barriers to better chronic pain management.

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Learn more about the Chronic Pain Network
Health Canada

Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks.

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Learn more about the Health Canada
IASP Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy

The Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy (GAPPA) Task Force’s brings together patient advocates, patient organizations, scientists, clinicians, healthcare providers, and policymakers to create better outcomes in the awareness, understanding, research, teaching, assessment, and management of pain throughout the world.

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Learn more about the IASP Global Alliance of Partners for Pain Advocacy
L’Association québécoise de la douleur chronique (AQDC)

Since 2004, the mission of the Association québécoise de la douleur chronique (AQDC), a non-profit charitable organization, has been to improve the well-being of people with chronic pain in Quebec and reduce their isolation. It provides pain support groups and a help line.

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Learn more about the L’Association québécoise de la douleur chronique (AQDC)
Ontario Chronic Pain Network

The Ontario Chronic Pain Network is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), health care professionals working in chronic pain programs, and people living with pain. The network has pediatric and adult subnetworks, with integrated activities and overlap in committee structure. The committees include Clinical Care, Communication/Outreach/Knowledge Translation, and Research. The OCPN and its Executive Committee are working to strengthen Ontario’s network of chronic pain health care providers and evolve models of care for chronic pain management to best serve.

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Learn more about the Ontario Chronic Pain Network
People in Pain Network

People in Pain Network is a non-profit organization that promotes well-being for people living in persistent pain and those who care about them, by strengthening self-management programs, access to resources, and community support.

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Learn more about the People in Pain Network
Quebec Pain Research Network

The Quebec Pain Research Network contributes to the improvement of the quality of life of Quebecers who live with pain through basic, clinical, evaluative and epidemiological research. It leads cohesive efforts between a group of more than 170 researchers associated to the four University Health Networks in Quebec. QPRN ensures knowledge mobilization, interactions between stakeholders and responses to the needs and concerns of people living with chronic pain

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Learn more about the Quebec Pain Research Network
SaskPain

SaskPain promotes improved understanding of pain, Saskatchewan-based pain research, and clinical practice improvements that impact people living with pain

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Learn more about the SaskPain
Solutions for Kids in Pain Knowledge Mobilization Centre of Excellence

Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) is a national knowledge mobilization network incorporated as a not-for-profit organization. SKIP's mission is to improve children's pain management by mobilizing evidence-based solutions through coordination and collaboration.

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Learn more about the Solutions for Kids in Pain Knowledge Mobilization Centre of Excellence
Take a Pain Check

Take a Pain Check Foundation is a non-profit organization led by youth for youth. Its mission is to empower youth and young adults impacted by rheumatic diseases to advocate for themselves and create a supportive, safe, and inclusive community where individuals feel understood. Through several youth-led initiatives such as the Take a Pain check podcast hosted by Natasha Trehan, blog posts, as well as their new Joint Chat Rheum program and ambassador program, their vision is that all youth and young adults feel supported in their journey when living with a chronic illness.

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Learn more about the Take a Pain Check

National Advisory Committee

Dr. Tania di Renna

Location: Ontario

Ontario Chronic Pain Network – Tertiary Care representative (alternate)

Dr. Tania Di Renna is the Medical Director for the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute at Women’s College Hospital.

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Dr. Kshitij Chawla

Location: British Columbia

Pain BC Board of Directors liaison

Dr. Chawla is a physiatrist and pain medicine specialist. He is the co-founder of Canadian Pain & Regenerative Institute and holds...

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Desmond Williams

Location: British Columbia

Person living with pain representative

Desmond Williams is a community healer and TRE practitioner, stand-up comedian and writer whose work is grounded in ...

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Keith Meldrum

Location: British Columbia

Person living with pain and IASP Global Partners for Pain Advocacy representative

Keith has lived with persistent neuropathic pain for over 35 years following a near-fatal car accident. After years of health care...

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Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Birnie

Location: Alberta

Solutions for Kids in Pain Knowledge Mobilization Centre of Excellence representative

Dr. Kathryn Birnie, PhD RPsych is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology...

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Dr. John Xavier Pereira

Location: Alberta

Canadian Pain Society Representative

Dr. John Xavier Pereira is the President-Elect of the Canadian Pain Society, a Past President of the Pain Society of Alberta, and was...

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Tracy J. Wasylak

Location: Alberta

Alberta Health Services representative

Tracy Wasylak is the Chief Program Officer, Strategic Clinical Networks™ with Alberta Health Services. She has held numerous...

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Dr. Susan Tupper

Location: Saskatchewan

SaskPain representative

Dr. Susan Tupper is the Manager of Professional Practice for Pain Strategy and Research with the Saskatchewan Health...

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Dr. Jaris Swidrovich

Location: Ontario and Saskatchewan

Canadian Pain Task Force “legacy” representative

Dr. Jaris Swidrovich is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto...

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Natasha Trehan

Location: Ontario

Person living with pain and youth representative

Natasha Trehan is a student at the University of Ottawa in the Biomedical Sciences Program in the French Immersion Stream...

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Dr. Abhimanyu Sud

Location: Ontario

Ontario Chronic Pain Network – Primary Care representative

Dr. Abhimanyu Sud is an Assistant Professor at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto and Research Chair, Primary Care...

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Dr. Deepa Kattail

Location: Ontario

Ontario Chronic Pain Network – Tertiary care representative (alternate)

Dr. Deepa Kattail is a pediatric anesthesiologist and chronic pain physician at McMaster Children’s Hospital as well as an...

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Paul Roos

Location: Ontario,

Centre of Excellence for Chronic Pain in Veterans representative

Paul served in the Canadian Armed Forces from 2008 until 2016 as an infantry officer. Upon completion of his military service, he...

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Dr. Norm Buckley

Location: Ontario

Chronic Pain Network representative

Dr. Norm Buckley is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Anesthesia at McMaster University. Dr. Buckley’s interests are pain...

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Dr. Hélène Beaudry

Location: Quebec

Québec Pain Research Network representative

A researcher in the pain field since 2006, Dr. Hélène Beaudry is currently the Executive Director of the Québec Pain Research...

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Alice Wagenaar-Tison

Location: Quebec

L’Association québécoise de la douleur chronique (AQDC) representative

Alice is a member of the Association Québécoise de Douleur Chronique (AQDC) since 2018. She served as a facilitator...

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Dr. Joshua Rash

Location: Newfoundland

Atlantic Mentorship Network for Pain and Addictions representative

Dr. Joshua Rash is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Psychology at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Director of...

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Virginia McIntyre

Location: Nova Scotia

Person with pain and People in Pain Network representative

Virginia McIntyre is the President and Executive Director of People in Pain Network (PIPN). She developed persistent pain in...

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