SickKids’ Dr. Jennifer Stinson Receives Gairdner Momentum Award for Transforming Paediatric Pain Care

We’re thrilled to celebrate Dr. Jennifer Stinson, Nurse Practitioner, Senior Scientist, and long-time innovator at SickKids, as the recipient of the 2025 Peter Gilgan Canada Gairdner Momentum Award. Dr. Stinson is the first nurse to receive this award, which recognizes her leadership in transforming paediatric pain care through digital health.

Her patient-partnered innovations are reshaping how we support children and teens living with chronic pain and complex conditions:

• iCanCope – A self-management app co-created with youth living with chronic pain, offering tailored goal setting, symptom tracking, and educational content to support long-term pain coping strategies.
• MEDi Robot – A child-friendly humanoid robot used to reduce pain and anxiety during medical procedures. Designed for use in hospital settings, MEDi engages children through distraction and social interaction during care.
• Power Over Pain Portal – A centralized digital hub that provides virtual care pathways and self-guided resources for individuals living with chronic pain, making evidence-based pain support more accessible across Canada.
• JIA Teen Hub – Developed in collaboration with teens living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), this online resource from AboutKidsHealth empowers adolescents with tools and information to manage their condition, navigate the health-care system, and transition to adult care.

Across each of these platforms, Dr. Stinson has championed co-design with patients and families, ensuring that tools are not only clinically effective, but meaningful and usable for those who need them most.

Her work exemplifies the kind of clinician-driven innovation that IP&C is proud to support—where research, technology and compassion come together to create real-world solutions.