C. Meghan McMurtry

C. Meghan McMurtry is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Guelph, Director of the Pediatric Pain, Health, and Communication Lab, and a Clinical and Health Psychologist with the Pediatric Chronic Pain Program at McMaster Children’s Hospital. She holds adjunct roles at Western University and the Children’s Health Research Institute. Her research focuses on pediatric pain, medical procedure-related fear, and family influences, funded by organizations like the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Key contributions include the CARD™ framework for vaccination pain management endorsed by the World Health Organization.

Education: PhD in Clinical Psychology (Dalhousie University, 2010) and psychology residency at Brown University. Research spans acute/chronic pain in children, needle fear interventions, and training for healthcare providers. Over 100 peer-reviewed publications and op-eds in major media outlets.

Key awards include the CPA Early Career Award (2020) and CSAHS Research Excellence Award (2017). Her lab emphasizes children’s perceptions of health and pain, with collaborations in palliative care and cystic fibrosis contexts. Current work explores pain training for caregivers of children with disabilities and mindfulness interventions for venipuncture.

Affiliations: University of Guelph, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Children’s Health Research Institute, Western University. Active in national and international guideline development for pediatric pain management.