News
2025-26 Joan WHITTEN Miller '76 Leadership Series: Dr. Jennifer Stinson
The Joan WHITTEN Miller ’76 Leadership Series provides opportunities for BSS students to engage with renowned experts and trailblazers in the fields science, technology, engineering and math.
Through generous donor funding, this series inspires students to consider how their studies extend beyond the classroom, illustrating the diverse and fulfilling career possibilities within STEM.
This year, we were honoured to welcome Dr. Jennifer Stinson, the Mary Jo Haddad Nursing Chair in Child Health and a Senior Scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences (CHES) research program, within the Research Institute at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto. Dr. Stinson is also a Nurse Practitioner in the Chronic Pain Program in the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine at SickKids, a Professor in the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, Department of Pediatric Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto, and a Fellow with the Canadian Academy of Nursing.
She leads the iOUCH Pain Lab, which seeks to improve health outcomes in children and youth with painful chronic conditions using digital health therapeutics. Dr. Stinson recently received the 2025 Peter Gilgan Canada Gairdner Momentum Award for her international leadership in the use of technology to improve the quality of life for children with chronic pain, for her pioneering work in digital therapeutics and training initiatives for pediatric pain assessment and self-management, particularly for conditions like juvenile idiopathic arthritis, sickle cell disease, chronic pain and cancer.
Passionate about science from a young age, Dr. Stinson went into nursing after seeing firsthand the incredible work nurses do when caring for a loved one. She later transitioned from nursing to becoming a health clinician scientist, a role that bridges the gap between laboratory research and bedside care.
Motivated by the "invisible" nature of chronic pain, which affects 1 in 5 youth, she founded iOUCH. Her work focuses on empowering young people through co-designed digital interventions, such as the Pain Squad mobile app and Medi Robot, an AI-driven distraction tool for children undergoing painful procedures. These innovations provide real-time advocacy and pain management strategies, reaching patients far beyond Canada’s ten specialized clinics.
Dr. Stinson emphasized that success in science requires a collaborative spirit and thick skin, noting that she often writes twelve grant proposals to secure three. Her message to students was clear: find your passion, embrace mentorship, and always include the voices of those you aim to serve.
