Vina Mohabir: Patient partnerships in action at SKIP
This story is part of a series led by Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP) about efforts being made across Canada and beyond to mobilize evidence-based solutions through coordination and collaboration. To learn more about 100+ groups working to improve children’s pain management, click here.
At SKIP, we know that patient partnership isn’t just a nice thing to do – it’s the right thing to do.
Vina Mohabir, Patient Partner and Patient and Caregiver Advisory Committee (PCAC) member, helps ensure all SKIP patient engagement activities are aligned with the insight of people with lived experience.
Vina is a Clinical Research Project Coordinator at the Hospital for Sick Children, or SickKids, whose work is focused on children’s pain research and advocacy. She first heard about SKIP in 2020 when she signed up to become a patient partner and PCAC member. Since then, she has engaged in several SKIP activities including conferences, social media campaigns, and research projects.
“SKIP works incredibly hard to encourage researchers to engage patients and families in their research,” Vina states. “By facilitating this process, more studies include patient and family partners, which provides the research team with the invaluable resource of lived experience.”
As part of her role as a PCAC member, Vina informs SKIP activities with a patient partner perspective.
“I really value SKIP's commitment to inclusivity and equity,” she says. “SKIP amplifies voices that have not been heard historically, like children with pain and other complex medical needs, children who may be non-verbal, and newborns experiencing neonatal pain.”
This year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Vina has learned an exponential amount about the world of patient advocacy, patient engagement in research, and knowledge translation. She is always looking to involve SKIP in her projects at SickKids.
“SKIP has been essential in helping Canadians get their COVID-19 vaccinations,” she says. “I’ve shared strategies, resources, articles, podcasts, and tweets that have had a direct impact on vaccine hesitancy.”
Vina also commends SKIP for being an organization that shares accessible, evidence-based information about pain in general.
“I value SKIP's commitment to knowledge translation. They present information in appropriate formats for children and families.”
Vina is dedicated to improving access even more. She is looking forward to supporting SKIP and the PCAC in diversifying their patient partnerships by engaging with children in BIPOC communities, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and other diverse populations to ensure all children are a part of this important conversation.
