Making Arthritis Research Inclusive: 2SLGBTQIA+ Patients Share their Experiences with Arthritis

Scientific study title:

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Sexual and Gender Minority Populations Living with Arthritis: A Patient Engagement Centered Approach

Principal Investigator:

Codie Primeau, PhD, MPT, MSc, Postdoctoral Fellow, University of British Columbia, Trainee, Arthritis Research Canada (Supervisor: Dr. Linda Li, Senior Research Scientist, Arthritis Research Canada)

Study Start Date:

October 2023

Study End Date:

September 2026

Why do this research?

People from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities are often not included in arthritis research. Not considering the specific health needs and experiences of this group can lead to missed chances for providing best possible care, or even cause unintended harm.  We need to close this gap in knowledge by working collaboratively with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in order to determine the most important research questions to explore to improve their health and healthcare experiences.

What will be done?

An Advisory Committee of community members, patients, clinicians, and researchers who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ will engage with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities to better understand diverse perspectives living with chronic pain to generate new research questions. By learning from the perspectives of people with lived experiences and building partnerships with communities, they hope to uncover important information to explore in future research to better support the health needs and improve health outcomes for members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.

Who is involved?

People from the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities with arthritis who experience chronic pain.

How are Equity, Diversity and Inclusion addressed or taken into consideration?

The work prioritizes the perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals, a population usually excluded from research studies, and challenges our understanding of arthritis from a sex and gender lens. The team will also:
• Prioritize recruiting participants who may have different lived experiences with arthritis based on their sex assigned at birth, sexuality, gender, age, race, ethnicity, education level, occupation, place of residence, socioeconomic status, and experiences with disability.
• Explore how these multiple identities can impact one another and affect an individual’s experience with pain and arthritis.

Co-Investigators:

*None officially on the grant as it is a Postdoctoral Award, but collaborators for the work thus far include Dr. Linda Li, Senior Scientist, and Alison Hoens, Knowledge Broker from Arthritis Research Canada*

Funding Agency

The Arthritis Society

How can people get involved?

If individuals are interested in learning more or getting involved, please contact Codie Primeau at cprimeau@arthritisresearch.ca or the study email at citizenscience@arthritisresearch.ca.