PEPR Partnership

We had a chance to learn about PEPR’s EMPOWER Committee (Engaging Marginalized POWer, Expertise, and Representation) with Co-Chairs Desmond Williams and Emerald Asuncion of Western University. The EMPOWER committee presents a model for people with lived experience (PWLE) leadership in chronic pain research based on relationality and trust.

The final presentation of the day is an overview of PEPR’s relational synthesis project lead by PEPR Co-Director Academic, Kate Rice of McGill University. Kate’s project asks, how is knowledge synthesized within the context of networks and partnerships? And, what is known about how to carry out inclusive knowledge synthesis?

Rounding out our second round of presentations we have “Engaging precarious status populations in pain research: A decolonial analysis” with Mehmoona Moosa-Mitha of University of Victoria and Susana Caxaj of Western University, along with Laura Connoy of Western University. This study asks the question, how can a decolonizing epistemic commitment inform a participatory approach to research with communities with precarious status living with chronic pain?

Next, Fiona Webster discusses the CAPS Research Network (Critical Approaches to Pain Scholarship). CAPS is an international research network consisting of sociologists, anthropologists, physiotherapists, and others taking a critical approach to (chronic) pain scholarship. If you are interested in joining CAPS, please go to https://criticalpainscholarship.ca/join-us/

The next presentation is “The making of patient engagement in research: a look at its history” presented by Karime Mescouto. This work is a historical exploration of the discourses through which has been formed, consolidated, challenged, and transformed over time.

Our second round of presentations begins with “Engaging Black communities in patient engagement in chronic pain research” with Anna Hood of the University of Manchester and Dennis Osei-Nimo Annor of Western University. This project centres around co-creating a culturally grounded community partnership framework with Black Canadians living with pain.

The final presentation of the morning is “Interpretive synthesis of patient engagement framework” with Fiona Webster. Fiona and team investigated existing models for guidance on and the assumptions that underlie them, including contradictions and tensions.

Next, we have “The social organization of patient engagement” Karime Mescouto of Western University. This study uses to explore regimes and their implications.

The next presentation is “Weaving Indigenous knowledge into pain research: Cultural pathways to meaningful engagement” presented by Vanessa Ambtman-Smith of Western University and Hannah Burgé Luviano of Shkaabe Makwa at CAMH. Vanessa and Hannah share their experience developing a culturally responsive framework to and guidelines for pain research.

The first presentation of the day is “A brokered dialogue study around the concept of participant engagement in research” with Janet Parsons and Hannah Ali of the University of Toronto. Brokered dialogue is a film-based, qualitative research method for understanding and addressing complex health and social issues by engaging interested people in dialogue and collective critical thinking.