About Us

The Centre for Pediatric Pain Research is located at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. First developed as the “Pain Research Lab” at the IWK by Dr. Patrick McGrath and Dr. Allen Finley in 1989, the Centre has grown to become an international leader in children’s pain research. Drawing on an interdisciplinary research approach, the Centre is at the forefront of ground-breaking and comprehensive research to ensure that parents, caregivers, and healthcare professionals have the most up to date knowledge and tools available to assess and manage children’s pain.

Our research faculty is comprised of Psychologists, Physicians, and Nurses who support and mentor numerous undergraduate, masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral students. The trainees who work in our Centre have diverse academic backgrounds and bring with them a variety of research interests. Our interdisciplinary focus is a reflection of the multifaceted research that is needed to appropriately address the complex problem of children’s pain.

Much of our Centre’s research space and equipment has been funded by infrastructure grants from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Our research is funded by numerous local, provincial, national, and international agencies, including the IWK Health Centre, the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and the Mayday Fund.

Please explore our website, including the pages devoted to profiling each of the faculty members in the Centre for Pediatric Pain Research. Feel free to contact us for more information about our research or activities.