Patricia Schofield

Professor Patricia Schofield is a Professor in Clinical Nursing at the University of Plymouth, affiliated with the School of Nursing and Midwifery within the Faculty of Health. She has held academic roles in UK institutions since 1992, including positions at Sheffield, Aberdeen, Greenwich, and Anglia Ruskin Universities. Her clinical expertise includes roles as a governor for Medway Foundation Trust, a vaccinator in the Dorset health system, and involvement in pensioner forums such as Chelsea and Westminster and Lewisham. She is internationally recognized for her work in pain and ageing, co-chairing the Global Year against Pain in Vulnerable Populations and leading the European Year against Pain in Vulnerable Populations.

Her research focuses on pain management in older adults, including frailty post-COVID, dental pain in care homes, technology-enabled pain self-management, and opioid use in chronic pain. She has been awarded a distinguished honor by the IASP for her contributions. She is an honorary Professor at Abertay University and Sheffield Hallam University, and contributes to the European Diploma in Pain Medicine as an examiner and curriculum developer. Professor Schofield has supervised six PhD students and examined 18 doctoral candidates globally, with a teaching portfolio spanning pre-registration nursing, master's, and doctoral programs.

Her current research interests include pain and frailty in post-COVID older populations, dental pain management in care homes, and technology-driven self-management strategies. She is also involved in exploring everyday functioning in older adults with chronic pain using technology and the psychological impacts of musculoskeletal pain and falls.

Professor Schofield advocates for pain education across healthcare professionals and has developed pioneering pain courses for nurses in the UK. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those addressing health equity and aging populations.