OPEN has established a new Education and Research Advisory Committee, bringing together leaders from across pain care, education, research and lived experience to help guide the next phase of our work.
Established by the OPEN Board, the Committee will provide independent expert advice to support the ongoing quality, integrity and relevance of OPEN’s education and research activities.
Its members bring perspectives from across disciplines, professions and settings — reflecting the collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that underpins contemporary pain care.
Strengthening the connection between evidence, education and practice
Pain care is continually evolving. New evidence emerges, healthcare needs change and our understanding of what supports better outcomes continues to grow.
For education to make a meaningful difference, it must do more than share knowledge. It must help health professionals translate evidence into practical skills they can apply in everyday care.
The Education and Research Advisory Committee will help OPEN maintain this connection between research, education and practice. Its role is to provide strategic insight and sector expertise, helping to ensure OPEN’s educational initiatives:
- maintain high standards of quality and integrity
- remain aligned with evidence-based approaches to pain management
- respond to emerging needs across the pain sector
- improve accessibility, usability and educational impact
- contribute to OPEN’s purpose of improving outcomes for people living with pain.
The Committee will also help ensure OPEN’s educational materials continue to reflect the principles underpinning the Listen to Me, Learn from Me framework, including the importance of listening to and learning from people with lived experience.
Guiding future education and research
The Committee will advise the OPEN Board and management across several areas.
This includes reviewing feedback from people using OPEN’s educational programs and identifying opportunities to strengthen or update existing content. Members will also share insights into emerging educational needs, new approaches and opportunities for collaboration across the pain sector.
As OPEN continues to grow, the Committee will provide strategic input into the development of its future education roadmap — helping identify where education can have the greatest impact and where new products, partnerships or approaches may be needed.
Research will also be an important part of the Committee’s work. Members will help OPEN identify research priorities and opportunities for investment, collaboration and innovation aligned with its charitable purpose. This may include areas such as health services research, implementation science, pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches, and interdisciplinary pain management.
The Committee will also contribute to the development of a Research Investment Framework to guide how OPEN assesses and selects future research initiatives for support.
Bringing different perspectives to the table
Improving pain care requires contributions from across the health system — and from people with lived experience of pain.
The Committee’s collective expertise spans areas including pain education and research, health professional education, clinical practice, lived experience, digital learning and educational design.
Bringing these perspectives together will help OPEN consider not only what health professionals need to know, but how that knowledge can be translated into more person-centred, practical and effective care.
Looking ahead
The establishment of the Education and Research Advisory Committee is an important step in OPEN’s ongoing development.
Through independent advice, constructive challenge and shared expertise, the Committee will help ensure OPEN’s work continues to be informed by evidence, shaped by the needs of the sector and focused on creating meaningful change for people living with pain.
We look forward to introducing the Committee members and sharing more of their perspectives, research and expertise through the OPEN Learning Hub over the coming months.
OPEN’s ‘Listen to me, learn from me’ framework is adapted with permission from Slater H, Jordan JE, O’Sullivan PB, Schütze R, Goucke R, Chua J, Browne A, Horgan B, De Morgan S, Briggs AM. “Listen to me, learn from me”: a priority setting partnership for shaping interdisciplinary pain training to strengthen chronic pain care. Pain. 2022 Nov 1;163(11):e1145-e1163. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002647.