The Power of POR
When the Saskatchewan Centre for Patient-Oriented Research (SCPOR) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic (Sask Polytech) established a research traineeship, they imagined its potential for advancing patient-oriented research in Saskatchewan. Two past recipients, Dr. Madeline Press and later Dr. Michelle Pavloff, have since seen not only their own research and careers soar, but the overall research program at Sask Polytech as well, thanks largely to this partnership.
Madeline became involved with SCPOR as its first Sask Polytech trainee and has championed patient-oriented research ever since. Recently retired from her position as Director, Centre for Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS) at Sask Polytech, Madeline credits her career path and much of her research success to the SCPOR/Sask Polytech traineeship opportunity. “The traineeship gave us the opportunity to focus on the research full time. It allowed me to build my program of research while earning my PhD, both of which helped me compete successfully for the director position.”
But personal development hasn’t been the only advantage of these traineeships. “We’ve doubled our research capacity in the Schools of Nursing and Health Sciences in the last five years, for which I credit this program,” says Madeline, adding, “I speak to novice researchers about patient-oriented research and ensure they have a patient on their research team. I won’t say it’s mandatory, but I emphasize its importance.”
As a former trainee who once worked under Madeline’s leadership, Michelle is again following in her footsteps as Sask Polytech’s Director, CHRIS, and her research is advancing as quickly as her career. Focused on the Farmer and Rancher Mental Health (FARMh) Initiative, Michelle’s research engages patient-partners who guided the direction of the project from the outset. “Back in 2019, the Patient Family Partners were very clear about the way they wanted to do the research, which was different from what I initially wanted. And it has grown, I would say, 1000 times bigger than I expected. It has also taken twice as long, but I feel it’s 10 times more meaningful.”
Despite the rise in support networks for farmer mental health across Canada and a national strategy in the works, such support was unavailable in Saskatchewan. Through the work of FARMh, SaskAgMatters Mental Health Network Inc., a non-profit organization, was established with farmers serving as executives on the board. Sustained through funding from the community, producers and agricultural businesses, SaskAgMatters now offers farmers six – one-hour therapy sessions, free of charge.
Various associations have since engaged the FARMh team, and perhaps most exciting, last year, Michelle received a call from the office of the Governor General of Canada, who had read about the important work her team was doing. In April 2024, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon met with Michelle’s team at a local farm.
Future work being planned at SaskAgMatters includes suicide prevention training and a farmer designed farm culture course.
Says Michelle, “Having a tangible network that Patient Partners have taken and run with would not have been possible without the support of SCPOR; I’ve learned about patient-oriented research, had dedicated time for the research and saw how important it is to meaningfully engage patient family partners throughout the process. We’ve been able to complete the research cycle with something we can give back to the community.” In her new position, Michelle now has the opportunity to pass those learnings on to future researchers, much as Madeline did with her. The cycle of POR continues!
Learn more at saskpolytech.ca/chris and https://www.saskagmatters.ca/.