Frequently Asked Questions

• It allows patient partners to share their lived experiences and perspectives
• It gives patient partners the ability to provide time, expertise and perspective to a research project
• It gives patient partners the opportunity to learn more about the research process and gain new skills

Our team will do our best to find a partnership opportunity that aligns with your interests, skills and lived experience to a research project. Also, our team will match patient partners to research projects that align with the level of time commitment you are able to accommodate; etc.

More information about the benefits of becoming a patient partner can be found on the Who can be a Patient Partner page.

Participation in research could be done virtually or in-person. To add on, this could include attending scheduled meetings or participating when patient partners have free time.

At present there are many meetings now held virtually via Zoom, FaceTime, Teams etc. and expectations surrounding the nature of participation using these platforms can be discussed with the team.

Patient partners can participate in a variety of ways throughout the research process during any of the stages (planning, experimental and presentation stage). Examples of this include reviewing grant proposals (documents made to request funding for a project), fine tuning research questions, supporting recruitment, reviewing data etc.

More information about the benefits of becoming a patient partner can be found on the What is Patient Engagement in Research (PER)? page.

Time commitments vary and can include a focus group (which can be an hour of your time) or may require you to attend monthly meetings. Since research studies can vary in length from months to years, the length of commitment will vary depending on the research project. Additionally, there are several ways in which patient partners can be involved in the research process which range from helping set priorities for research to helping write the final report. Time commitments can be a focus group which can be an hour of your time or if required to attend monthly meetings. Furthermore, the length of commitment can be discussed with the research team in order to find what best works for you.

Many team meetings are now held virtually and you may not be asked to attend in-person. If in-person meetings are requested, there are several ways to commute to Sunnybrook which include:

• Taxi Chits/Uber (reimbursement available)
• Carpooling
• TTC/Wheel-Trans (reimbursement available)
• Driving (reimbursement available for parking costs)

No, you do not need to have a science or research background. Patient partners have a valuable perspective, and they provide information based on their lived experience.

Participation can be completed on one’s free time using online platforms for those who work full-time.

Sunnybrook covers expenses such as travel expenses to ensure patient partners do not have to pay out of pocket in order to participate. Compensation differs for each project and is influenced by various factors such as the granting organization. Patient partners are encouraged to discuss this topic with their research contact for additional information.