We promote improved understanding of pain, Saskatchewan-based pain research, and clinical practice improvements that impact people living with pain.
Join us on this mission to improve the lives of those living with pain in Saskatchewan.
SaskPain’s Governance & structure
Read about the governance, organizational structure, and funding of SaskPain.
SaskPain is governed and endeavors to fulfill its mission through the contributions of its volunteer Board of Directors. The board is led by two co-chairs, supported by a secretary and treasurer. There are a maximum of 15 board members. Board members play an active role in the activities of SaskPain. They are Saskatchewan residents and consist of members of the community, business owners, people with lived experience of chronic pain, healthcare providers, and researchers. As SaskPain grows and becomes further established, hired staff will carry out SaskPain’s mission and develop the organization. To apply to be a member of the board, email an application form to info@saskpain.ca and an updated resume or curriculum vitae. SaskPain has been incorporated as a Saskatchewan Non-profit – Charitable under the Non-profit Corporations Act, 1995 since April 30, 2018. Funding for the board is obtained through donations from private individuals, corporations, or publicly funded grants. SaskPain does not accept funding from pharmaceutical industries or corporations manufacturing medical devices.
History of SaskPain
Learn about the origins and development of SaskPain.
The development of the Saskatchewan Pain Society Incorporated (SaskPain) was nurtured by the vision of the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association (SRNA) Pain Management Professional Practice Group (PPG).
One of the objectives of the PPG was to promote the creation of a provincial pain strategy. As a result of a resolution passed at the May 2014 SRNA Annual General Meeting, the SRNA (now the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan) assisted the PPG to partner with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan to host the first key stakeholder meeting for a provincial pain strategy. This event could be seen as the moment when SaskPain began to emerge. A second focused key stakeholder meeting was held in conjunction with the 2016 provincial pain conference. The Saskatchewan Pain Society was incorporated as a non-profit organization in May of 2018.
Newsletters & reports
Read SaskPain’s latest newsletters and reports for recent news and information.
Recent Newsletter
Check out the latest newsletter from SaskPain.
Archive
Take a look through SaskPain’s previous newsletters.
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Reports
Take a look through reports written by SaskPain.
Board of Directors
Meet the volunteer board members behind SaskPain.
Our Board of Directors is a committed group of individuals with various backgrounds related to health and pain. Read our stories below.
Susan Tupper, PT, PhD, is the Strategy Consultant for Pain Quality Improvement and Research for the Saskatchewan Health Authority. She is a licensed physical therapist with a PhD in Community Health and Epidemiology and post-doctoral fellowship in Pediatrics. Susan holds adjunct faculty positions with the University College of Medicine in the Departments of Pediatrics; Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine, and Pain Management, and the School of Rehabilitation Sciences. Susan practiced clinically in both in-patient acute care and out-patient settings. Susan’s current role with the Saskatchewan Health Authority includes research, education, and writing clinical standards. Susan is Chair of the Board of Directors of SaskPain.
Andrew Hartman, MEd, NBC-HWC (they/them) is a queer, Métis program evaluator, applied social psychology doctoral student, and Founder of Psystem, a social enterprise focused on supporting individuals in building health, wellness, and change into their lives. Andrew’s research focuses on the psychological process of healing in queer survivors of gender-based violence. Andrew has led local and national research projects focused on improving 2SLGBTQ+ people’s experiences navigating systems and other social programming. Andrew is also both a national board-certified health and wellness coach and certified chronic pain coach.
Paul Mitchell, BScPT, is a physiotherapist at Wascana Rehabilitation Center in Regina working with people who have persistent pain and people with lower limb loss. He developed a special interest in the area of persistent pain recovery and how it relates to physical activity after moving to a tertiary level treatment center in 2012 and taking courses taught by Neil Pearson (Pain Care Yoga), and Greg Lehman (Biomechanics and pain). He has worked in many different settings in both acute and outpatient care. He has taken steps towards joining the Canadian Pain Task Force and is working with the Opioid Stewardship Program to create a provincial chronic pain pathway here in Saskatchewan. He is the father of two boys who keep him busy with diving and hockey but he still has some time to sneak away to do Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and snowboarding in the Rockies.
Dr. Rotimi Kolawole is a practicing physician with certification as a specialist in Public Health and Preventive Medicine through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and an Addiction Medicine certification through the International Society of Addiction Medicine. He is a diplomate of Addiction Medicine with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and a certificant of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine. He also holds the designation of Certified Health Executive with the Canadian College of Health Leaders.Rotimi completed 5 year Royal College residency training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and 1 year of Clinical Addiction Medicine Fellowship with the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, Vancouver. Rotimi’s current clinical practice is a mixed model of Public Health as a Medical Health Officer and an Addiction Medicine Physician with interest in Chronic Pain Management.In addition to his clinical and academic roles, Rotimi has a deep interest in multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain management and elimination of systemic barriers for people with substance use disorders in accessing community-based recovery and pain management programs.
David has been in practice for 27 years with the past 20 being in Estevan. He has the distinction of being the first indigenous chiropractor to practice in the province of Saskatchewan. David is a past chair of the Canadian Chiropractic Association. He has previously served on the World Federation of Chiropractic (WFC) Board of Directors, Chair of the Canadian Chiropractic Guideline Initiative, and President of the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan. He currently represents Canada on the WFC’s public Health committee, and co-chairs the Indigenous Chiropractic Caucus. An avid Saskatchewan Rough Rider fan, he and his lovely wife enjoy travelling the world.
Siham is a fourth year medical student with the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine. She previously served as the Admissions Committee Student Representative for three years with the college. Additionally, she was a member of the Diversity and Social Accountability Admissions Program (DSAAP) subcommittee for two years where she advocated for applicants from lower socioeconomic statuses. Prior to Medicine, she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. Siham is interested in multidisciplinary approaches to addictions medicine and chronic pain management and is committed to furthering research in these fields.
Throughout a 35 year nursing career, Cathy Jeffery, RN(retired), PhD, has worked in acute, community, palliative and long term care in addition to nursing and continuing education. Cathy also has experience in health care management, policy and procedure development and program planning and evaluation. Cathy is committed to interprofessional approaches and the incorporation of input from patients/clients/residents and their families to improve health system function and health care delivery that is linked to quality outcomes. Cathy is honored to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of a pain strategy that will benefit citizens of Saskatchewan. Cathy is chair of the Education working group with SaskPain.
Karen Juckes is a professor with the University of Saskatchewan, College of Nursing. Karen has practiced in a variety of roles over the past 30 years including acute care nursing, clinical nursing education and undergraduate education. Karen’s research interests include pain management, interprofessional education, pediatric health, and clinical facilitation. Karen received her BScN from the University of Saskatchewan in 1984, her MN from University of Saskatchewan in 2001 and her PhD in education from the University of Regina in 2022. Karen is the President of the College of Registered Nurses Saskatchewan (CRNS) Professional Practice Group in pain management. She is currently engaged in community based participatory research (CBPR) with patient partners, where the aim is to improve pain management in Saskatchewan.
Tracy Bertram is the Executive Director of the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan. Previous roles have included Director, Fee for Service and Statistics with the Ministry of Health, and Director Physician Strategy and Quality with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region.Her twenty year career in health care/human services, has included 10 years with the Ministry of Social Services, and three years as an appointed Board member of the Five Hills Health Region. Tracy holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Healthcare Administration from the U of S, and a Certificate in Quality Management from the Canadian Healthcare Association.
Mark Labrecque is a chiropractor practicing in Saskatoon. He has served as Past President of the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan, Canadian Chiropractic Association board member and Past Chair of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College Board of Governors.He has previously been part of many sport teams and events including Team Chiropractor Saskatoon Blades, Huskie Health Care Coalition, Chief Chiropractic Officer 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships and 2013 Memorial Cup.He is the Head of the Chiropractic Division, Department of Family Medicine, Saskatchewan Health Authority – Saskatoon Area. He is a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan Project ECHO Advisory/Core Expert Team for the management of chronic pain.
Shahzaib is a first year dental student with the University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry. He is the DMD year 1 Class Representative. Prior to Dentistry, he completed his Bachelors of Science in Pharmacy in 2020 and Bachelors of Science in Physiology and Pharmacology in 2022 at the University of Saskatchewan. He is passionate about harm reduction and co-founded the organization, Minimizing the Opioid Crisis (MOC) in 2019 which has supported the development and expansion of over twenty pharmacies province-wide to provide free fentanyl testing strips. Additionally, Shahzaib has been living with Type 1 Diabetes since the age of 10 and hopes to raise awareness for chronic illnesses.
Contact Us
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Please note that SaskPain does not offer clinical consultations. Contact your healthcare providers for specific advice on whether the resources listed on the SaskPain website are good options for your pain.