Message from the Scientific Director Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little
caregivers and community organizations to
Prince, once said, “A rock pile ceases to be a
ensure that our research aligns with the real-
rock pile the moment a single man contemplates
world needs of those living with chronic pain.
it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” It
Among other things, this includes the Canadian
is inspiration that leads to innovation. It is about
Pain Care Forum, where patient advocacy groups
changing the way we see the challenges before
engage with members of industry, government,
us - seeing things from a new perspective - and
clinicians and researchers, to providing expert
pushing the boundaries of what we know. This is
opinions on initiatives like the revision of the
especially true of science and health research.
Canadian Guideline for Opioid Use in Non-Cancer
Innovation, in our context, extends beyond the
Pain and assisting with knowledge translation
laboratory and clinical settings. It encompasses the integration of technology, the exploration
produced documents to ensure they are both
of novel therapies and the cultivation of a
relevant and readable for a patient-audience.
holistic understanding of pain and its impacts on
In research, even when best practice change or
individuals and society. It also involves changing
a research project doesn’t quite yield the results
the way we do research - from the first inkling
we were looking for, it doesn’t necessarily mean
of an idea, right through to the publication of the
that we were wrong or that we wasted time; it just
first paper. The last decade has seen a shift to
means we now have more information to guide us
better incorporate people with lived experience
along a path to become increasingly right.
(those living with the conditions we are studying) into the research process and doing so in meaningful ways, as opposed to mere tokenism. The Institute and National Pain Centre pride themselves on continuing to seek out new ways to bring innovation to pain research. We recognize that innovation must be a two-way street, and we actively engage with patients,
Norm Buckley, BA (Psych), MD, FRCPC
Scientific Director Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care McMaster University
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efforts of Institute and National Pain Centre-
