Grant: Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Chronic pain affects one in four Canadians, with a greater impact on individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about how pain specifically affects this group, and individuals often face challenges accessing healthcare and have negative experiences with healthcare providers. It is important for us to prioritize and ask specific research questions that will help us learn more about the unique needs and pain challenges for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to improve health outcomes. To address this, our research team is using an innovative research methodology to develop research questions that are meaningful for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals who experience pain. Citizen Science is a way for the public to actively contribute their knowledge, health-related information, and personal experiences with health to help shape science. Our team has developed an online platform that uses the principles of Citizen Science, where members of the public who experience pain can share information about their symptoms and experiences, providing important information to help us better understand their unique needs. We will use this information to develop research questions addressing the specific concerns of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. Our research program involves reviewing existing studies, gathering pain-related information from the 2SLGBTQIA+ public using our online platform, collaborating with a diverse working group of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals (patients, clinicians and researchers) to co-develop research questions, and reconnect with the public to co-prioritize these questions. We will use various strategies (in-person events and online outreach) to ensure diversity of study participants, including perspectives of those who are often overlooked in pain research. Through this innovative approach, we hope to develop meaningful research questions that help us understand pain and improve health outcomes for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.