Welcome to our new blog series highlighting the work of our Azrieli CHILD-BRIGHT postdoctoral fellows!
Within the various research projects underway at the CHILD-BRIGHT Network, postdoctoral fellows play a crucial role. This year, thanks to the generous contribution of the Azrieli Foundation, we’re delighted to welcome a new cohort of up-and-coming scientists who are passionate about patient-oriented research (POR) and its incredible potential in the study of pediatric brain-based developmental disabilities. In the next few weeks, we’ll be showcasing each of our postdocs and the pivotal work they’re doing at CHILD-BRIGHT, across Canada.
PAIN PATHWAY PROJECT
Sharon Hou (she/her)
Postdoctoral fellow, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Registered psychologist, BC Children’s Hospital
Under the supervision of co-principal investigators (PIs) Hal Siden and Stephanie Glegg, Sharon is contributing to the CHILD-BRIGHT Pain Pathway project, a study on pain and irritability of unknown origin (PIUO) among children with severe neurological impairments. In Phase 1, the research team designed and tested a clinical pathway to streamline the assessment and management of PIUO (the Studying PIUO project). Now in Phase 2, the team is studying how to implement the clinical pathway in community pediatric practices with pediatricians across British Columbia.
Sharon is taking a lead role in carrying out the Pain Pathway project, from study design, recruitment, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of results. But none of her tasks are carried out solo: “I work closely with our multidisciplinary study team, including our parent partners and clinician partners” says Sharon, who is delighted to be working towards a collective goal of improving children’s health and well-being.
Even before working with CHILD-BRIGHT, Sharon was a strong proponent of patient-oriented research (POR). Early on in her academic career, she happened to be mentored by researchers who use a POR approach, which allowed her to see its value first-hand. “Since then, I’ve been consistently working with partners who have lived and living experiences,” says Sharon. Incorporating lived experience perspectives has become a necessary foundation for her own research; it allows her to ask research questions that are relevant and meaningful to the children and families she works with. “What is most exciting and meaningful for me is being able to collaborate with people who bring diverse experiences and perspectives to the project,” says the postdoc.
“I want to make sure that my study findings are useful, informative, and accessible to children and families navigating the health care system.””
Sharon knows that this fellowship is an incredible opportunity to gain advanced training in patient-oriented pediatric health research. She’s not only learning how to conduct studies involving children with a high degree of health complexity and their families, but also strengthening her research methodologies in implementation science and knowledge mobilization. She’s also excited to be engaging with the broader CHILD-BRIGHT network of researchers, clinicians, and partners with lived experience, and can already see how it will lead to collaborations and opportunities in her future. “I believe this fellowship will help me build my program of research as I work towards becoming an independent researcher,” she says.