CANADIAN PAIN CARE FORUMOCTOBER 2024 AND FEBRUARY 2025
The October 2024 Canadian Pain Care Forum saw presentations from SaskPain and Dr. Jason Busse. Karen Jukes, of SaskPain discussed "Ricky's Invisible Pain" project, a children's book and curriculum package addressing pediatric chronic pain in Saskatchewan. The project is led by Karen and Ross McCreary and is codesigned by a diverse working group. The curriculum will include lesson plans and activities aligned with provincial curriculum, emphasizing inclusivity and addressing complex pain. Following the presentation, Dr. Jason Busse discussed the upcoming release of the revised Opioid Guideline for Non-Cancer Chronic Pain. The aim of these recommendations is to provide evidence-based guidance for healthcare providers, patients, caregivers and policymakers. The Guideline was funded through Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP) and will be published this spring.
Max Slepian, a psychologist at Toronto General, kicked off our February 2025 meeting. Slepian discussed strategies to increase access to psychological interventions for pain, highlighting the gap between demand and supply. He emphasized the need for digital interventions, collaborative care models and increased training in pain management. Andrea Darzi wrapped up the session by introducing the e-Chronic Pain Recommendation Map - a new digital platform to synthesize and compare guidelines for chronic pain, addressing issues such as inconsistency and trustworthiness. The platform aims to provide clear, evidence-based decision support, enhance shared decisionmaking and align practices with national standards. It will include features like plain language summaries, decision aids, and multilingual access. User testing and quality improvement are ongoing, with plans for translation and expansion in future years.
2024 CHRONIC PAIN SYMPOSIUM
The Michael G. DeGroote Chronic Pain Symposium featured presentations covering a broad spectrum of pain-related topics, as well as a poster session. Topics ranged from neuropathic pain to opioid alternatives, and psychological approaches to pain management to emerging technologies. With an emphasis on evidence-based practice, the Symposium aims to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
The 2024 Symposium saw Dr. Maxwell Slepian start the day with a presentation looking at the experimental and clinical uses of non-invasive brain stimulation, particularly transcranial direct current stimulation. Dr. Arnav Agarwal addressed spinal decompression surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis, while Dr. Stevie Foglia examined machine learning applications in predicting chronic post-surgical pain risk.
In the afternoon, Dr. Harsha Shanthanna reviewed photo-biomodulation for pain management after C-sections, Dr. Jiyeon Park explored transcranial magnetic stimulation for diabetic neuropathy, and Dr. Dena Zeraatkar presented on long COVID pain management interventions.
Dr. Max Slepian presents at the February 2025 Canadian Pain Care Forum.
Dena Zeraatkar discusses her research surrounding a living systematic review of interventions for the management of long COVID.
NATIONAL PAIN AWARENESS WEEK 2024
In 2004, a Private Member's bill was passed in Parliament, establishing the first full week of November as National Pain Awareness Week (NPAW) in Canada. Since then, the awareness event, now led by PainCanada, has grown to see more than 500 individuals and organizations participating, reaching 1.4 million through social media campaigns, generating more than 4.5 million impressions.
NPAW has been instrumental in pushing for better policy surrounding pain management policy. It encourages individuals and organizations to amplify the voices of those living with chronic pain and creates increased awareness of the challenges and barriers that they face.
This year, the Institute for Pain Research and Care shared 39 posts across Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Threads, receiving more than 1,700 impressions. It wrapped up the week with a series of live tweets from our Chronic Pain Symposium.
Other NPAW events included the Putting the Pieces Together conference - a free virtual conference created for and by people with pain.
NEW INTERACTIVE PAIN CLINIC LISTING
The Institute for Pain Research and Care is pleased to introduce a new interactive map of Canadian pain clinics, designed to help users easily find pain clinics across the country. The map allows users to filter clinics by province and provides pertinent contact information. With just a click, users can save clinic contact information directly to the address book on their phone, computer or other smart devices.
As this feature is still a work in progress, we continue to verify clinic details and add more information. We also invite users to submit updates or suggest new clinics through our online form. Future enhancements will include filtering clinics by services offered and populations served, as well as providing appointment guidance.
Please note: This directory is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Check out the map today and help us improve this valuable resource!
https://pain-institute.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/canadianpain-clinic-listing/
The clinic listing can be seen by visiting the Institute for Pain Research and Care's website. We invite members of the public to submit new clinics
MEET IPRC FELLOWSHIP RECIPIENT PETER EMARY
"Ever since the age of five, all I ever talked about while growing up was being a Doctor of Chiropractic - just like my dad," says Peter Emary, recipient of the 2024 Institute for Pain Research & Care fellowship.
Raised in Cambridge, Ontario by his mother, Marilyn, and father, Dr. Bruce Emary, Peter spent his summers playing baseball and his winters downhill skiing. "I also grew up a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan," he added. He's still a die-hard Leafs fan, but now his favourite thing to do when he's not working is spend time with his wife and three daughters - whether it's camping, fishing, playing board games or just watching movies together.
Peter's desire to help others led him beyond clinical practice and into pain research. Under the mentorship of Professor Jason W. Busse, he completed his PhD in Health Research Methodology at McMaster University in August 2022. "Professor Busse and his team do phenomenal work," said Peter. It was the opportunity to continue to work with Dr. Busse and learn from him that drew him to a fellowship with the IPRC. "I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity," he added.
As a chiropractor, Peter finds great fulfillment in working directly with patients, using hands-on therapy and exercise to help manage musculoskeletal pain. However, he is also aware of the barriers many socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals face in accessing private health services like chiropractic care. "That’s what motivates me most about pain research— improving access to care, especially for underserved communities," he explained.
Since beginning his fellowship, Peter has gained valuable experience in primary and secondary research design, as well as statistical analysis. Beyond technical skills, the collaboration and partnerships have been monumental in advancing meaningful research. "The opportunities and support that Professor Busse has given me to develop research ideas aligning with my clinical interests has been the most rewarding part of my role," he said.
Looking ahead, Peter is committed to continuing his work in pain research, with a particular focus on integrating chiropractic and medical care for patients with spinal pain. "I plan to explore future definitive trials on the effectiveness and cost-utility of this approach in community health centers, primary care settings, and Canadian Armed Forces bases," he shared.
For those interested in working with the IPRC, Peter has this advice: "Take advantage of everything the IPRC offers—Trainee Hub, symposiums, social events, and collaboration opportunities. There’s so much to learn and contribute."
Upcoming Events
Michael G. DeGroote
Annual Research Day
Spring 2025
More information coming soon.
Canadian Pain Society
Annual Scientific Meeting
May 1 - 4, 2025
Taking place at Victoria College in Toronto, this conference will be full of meaningful, evidence-informed, up-to-date pain education topics.
To register or learn more, visit : www.canadianpainsociety.ca/annualmeeting
Canadian Pain Care Forum
June 10, 2025
For more information, visit: https://pain-institute.healthsci.mcmaster.ca/ about-us/canadian-pain-care-forum/ Or email: npc@mcmaster.ca
Michael G. DeGroote
Annual Chronic Pain Symposium
November 22, 2025
Where: University Club McMaster University
Time: 8:30 am - 4:30 pm
Registration details coming soon.
