5 mai 2025
Support for veterans with chronic pain and their families under study by new Chair in Educational Leadership at Université Laval
Université Laval, with the support of the Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence for Canadian Veterans (CPCoE), is creating the Chaire de leadership en enseignement en sensibilisation, autogestion et soutien (SENSAS) du bien-être pour les vétérans et leurs familles.
— Université Laval, Yan Doublet
Pascale Marier-Deschênes, Assistant Professor at Université Laval's Faculté de médecine, the holder of this SENSAS Leadership Chair in Teaching, points out that “chronic pain affects 41% of veterans, well above the 20% rate estimated for the Canadian civilian community. Yet specific resources are scarce in Quebec, and few students and healthcare professionals are aware of military culture.”
One of the objectives of this Chair in Educational Leadership is to co-create a bilingual online chronic pain self-management program with veteran partners. This program could be used alone or as a complement to interventions by healthcare personnel.
Raising awareness of the realities of veterans living with chronic pain and their families among the student community and faculty from multiple disciplines is also on the agenda. “We plan to create interactive training modules on topics such as military culture, the transition from the armed forces to civilian life, intervention with the veteran population and self-management support. These modules will then be adapted to promote continuing professional development among professionals already in practice,” says the Chairholder.
Université Laval Rector Sophie D'Amours also underlines the Chair's social commitment. “The work of Pascale Marier-Deschênes' team makes me particularly proud as support for veterans and their family is in line with the fundamental value of the well-being of individuals, as espoused by our institution. The innovative and partnering approach being proposed is in line with the desire of members of our community to make a difference in people's lives on a daily basis, and to act together to have a greater impact on society.”
The creation, including the recruitment of Professor Marier-Deschênes, and the programming of the Chaire de leadership en enseignement en sensibilisation, autogestion et soutien (SENSAS) du bien-être pour les vétérans et leurs familles are made possible, in particular, thanks to the support of $500,000 over 5 years from the Centre of Excellence on Chronic Pain for Canadian Veterans, through the Centre interdisciplinaire de recherche en réadaptation et intégration sociale.
“This collaboration with CPCoE is invaluable; congratulations on linking up with our research and teaching community! It is imperative to train professionals and clinical environments that welcome veterans, in addition to offering self-management and support resources that are accessible and adapted outside the clinical context. Training and research in this field, and the hiring of Professor Marier-Deschênes, made possible by the creation of this Chair, are in keeping with the innovative nature of the Faculté de médecine and our desire to be socially responsible towards the populations we serve,” concludes Faculté de médecine Dean Julien Poitras.
