Dr. Shane Sinclair, PhD

Dr. Shane Sinclair was awarded the inaugural Cancer Care Research Professorship in 2013 when he joined the Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary (UCalgary). Clinically, he is a certified Spiritual Health Practitioner (chaplain) who has provided clinical care and led program. He is the Director of the Compassion Research Lab, a nationally funded, internationally recognized, transdisciplinary research group that has significantly advanced the art and science of compassion. He has received over $7M in research funding, including $3.5M as PI ($1.75M from CIHR), published over 140 peer reviewed publications, including 90+ journal articles (35 first author/27 senior author), and given well over 200 invited addresses around the world. He and his team have single handedly moved the needle of compassion from theory to practice through their empirical models, robust measures, evidence- based training programs, award-winning knowledge products, and innovative patient-oriented research.

Dr. Sinclair’s many important contributions to research, healthcare practice, and knowledge translation have earned him provincial, national, and international recognitions, often accompanied by superlatives such as ‘youngest’ and ‘first ever’. Most recently, he was awarded a UCalgary Research Excellence Chair in recognition of being one of the University’s top scholars. As a result of his exceptional expertise, Dr. Sinclair has served in several prestigious leadership positions including: expert advisor to Canadian Virtual Hospice; expert advisor to the European Association of Palliative Care Spiritual Care Task Force; lead developer of Pallium Canada’s Psychosocial and Spiritual Care Modules; co-author of numerous psychosocial oncology and palliative care best practice guidelines; and the youngest president ever of the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology. 

While Dr. Sinclair’s contributions have resulted in his widespread recognition as an international research leader on compassion among his colleagues, he has remained committed to ensuring that his transdisciplinary patient- oriented research continues to benefit his primary target audience—patients and families who know first-hand the power that compassion has on their healing and healthcare experience. His public-facing Compassion Research Lab knowledge translation website distills research findings into accessible blog posts and interactive tools such as the compassion measure calculator, equipping healthcare providers, educators, patients, families, and system leaders with evidence-based knowledge and tools on this vital topic.