Richard Sawatzky

Dr. Richard Sawatzky is a Professor in the School of Nursing at Trinity Western University (TWU) and holds an affiliate Professorship at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy. He leads the Patient-Reported Outcomes program at the Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes and advises the British Columbia Ministry of Health. As a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1), he focuses on equitable people-centred health measurement (EPHM), developing methods to capture diverse perspectives in healthcare experiences. His clinical background in palliative care and expertise in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) research underpin his work in patient-reported outcomes (PROs), psychometrics, and knowledge translation.

Education:

• PhD in Nursing (University of British Columbia, 2007)
• MSc in Nursing (University of British Columbia, 2002)
• BSc in Nursing (Trinity Western University, 1999)

Research Interests:

• Equitable health measurement frameworks
• Patient-reported outcomes in chronic conditions
• Palliative care approaches
• Social determinants of health
• Digital health systems for Indigenous populations
• Health measurement validity and adaptation

Grant Highlights:

• $1M Alberta Innovates grant (2023–2026) for CBT efficacy research in dialysis patients
• $761K CIHR grant (2022–2026) for equitable measurement methods
• $252K CIHR grant (2018–2021) for patient-centred care indicators

Awards:

• Barer-Flood Prize (2021)
• Canadian Academy of Nursing Fellow (2020)
• Centenary Medal (UBC, 2019)

Labs/Teams:

• Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes (UBC/Providence Health Care)
• Institute on Aging & Lifelong Health (University of Victoria)
• Sahlgrenska Academy’s Centre for Person-Centred Care (Gothenburg)