Skip to main content
ChildHealthCan2025 Main banner
Back

Katie Birnie, PhD RPsych

Assistant Professor / Associate Scientific Director
University of Calgary / Solutions for Kids in Pain

Dr. Kathryn (Katie) Birnie, PhD RPsych is a Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Professor in the Departments of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, and Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary where she leads the Partnering For Pain program. She is the Associate Scientific Director of Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP), a national knowledge mobilization network working to improve evidence-based children’s pain management through coordination and collaboration.Dr. Birnie joined Alberta Children’s Hospital as a medical psychologist in 2018, where she continues to provide clinical care through the Vi Riddell Children’s Pain and Rehabilitation Program.

Dr. Birnie is a recognized leader in pain research and patient partnership, for which she has received a number of national and international accolades. She was the recipient of the 2020 Pain Awareness Award from the Canadian Pain Society and was selected as a 2020-2021 MAYDAY Fellow, a prestigious fellowship focused on communications and advocacy for improved pain care. Dr. Birnie has more than 80 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Her research integrates patient and family partnership and multi-stakeholder engagement to improve the prevention, assessment, and management of pain experienced by children and their families. Her work has contributed to recommendations by the World Health Organization for reducing vaccination pain, and international practice standards for pain assessment and management in children diagnosed with cancer. She is chair of the national working group developing a standard in pediatric pain management with the Health Standards Organization. Dr. Birnie’s research has been featured in media outlets including CBC News, CTV News, Radio Canada International, and The Globe and Mail. She is a strong advocate for the partnership of patients and families in health research, health care delivery, and health systems design.

Disclosure information not submitted.

Presentation(s):