3F Research Group

Trudy Flynn is a medically retired Nurse from Nova Scotia. She was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia over 31 years ago. She controls her Fibromyalgia with exercise, is a long-distance runner and follows the slow but steady mantra. Trudy started being involved in research as part of a Clinical Trial in 2009 through the Nova Scotia Pain Clinic, which led to her first experience with actual Patient Engagement in 2014 as part of the steering committee for the CIHR – James Lind Alliance Adult Fibromyalgia Priority Setting Partnership. Trudy was a Patient Representative at the Canadian Pain Summit in Toronto in September 2014 and it was at this Summit, listening to Researchers that Trudy realized how important Knowledge Translation and Patient Engagement were to making research relevant to the community the research is supposed to serve. As a result of this realization, Trudy became a Research Ambassador for CIHR–IMHA and later a Patient Engagement Research Ambassador (PERA).

In 2019 Trudy joined the Maritime SPOR Support Unit (MSSU) to help promote and participate in Patient Engagement in the Maritime Provinces, where she is currently the Co-Chair of the Patient Public Partner Council and serves on many MSSU committees. In 2021 Trudy helped establish Fibromyalgia Association Canada (FAC), a nationwide organization led by people with fibromyalgia for people with fibromyalgia. Trudy is currently the Chair of the Board of Directors at FAC. Then in 2022, Trudy became a patient partner on the Quality and Patient Safety Advisory Council for Nova Scotia.

Trudy was the primary caregiver for her Mother who had dementia and Alzheimer’s and as a result, is interested in dementia and long-term care research. Her research involvement has included:

• Evidence to assess the impact of COVID-19 on community-based dementia care in Nova Scotia.
• Public health implications of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: a rapid scoping review
• Effectiveness of masks for reducing transmission of COVID-19 in non-healthcare community-based settings
• Rehabilitation for LTC residents with dementia