Peter Stilwell is a Canadian pain researcher who currently holds a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Southern Denmark in the Faculty of Health Sciences. He is also an Affiliate Member at McGill University in the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences - School of Physical & Occupational Therapy. Previously, he held a Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) at McGill University, and was the Ronald Melzack Fellow in Chronic Pain Research at the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain (AECRP) at McGill University.
Most of his research training was at Dalhousie University, where he completed a MSc in Rehab Research in Physiotherapy and then a PhD in Health. All his research is interdisciplinary. He regularly collaborates with clinicians and scientists in the health professions, as well as patient partners, philosophers, and cognitive scientists. He has published articles in leading journals in the areas of pain, suffering, qualitative methods, philosophy, and medical humanities. His research has garnered national and international attention; he has completed over 80 invited speaking engagements and is regularly invited on podcasts and academic conference panels to discuss his work. Further, he has developed educational materials for nationally and internationally recognized pain programs and continuing education platforms for health professionals.
Before becoming a researcher, he worked full-time as a licensed chiropractor in Canada. He obtained an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology (BKin) from the University of Calgary and a Doctor of Chiropractic degree (DC) in Toronto. He has extensive experience in hospital and private practice settings, where he primarily worked with individuals experiencing persistent back pain using the best available evidence and clinical practice guidelines.
In addition to his research and clinical background, he has been heavily involved in teaching, student supervision, and community-based initiatives, including co-creating and facilitating a highly successful free health education and walking program in Canada that attracted over 1700 members.
Email: Peter.Stilwell@McGill.ca