Patient Engagement Program

The Patient Engagement Program is designed to:

develop, strengthen, and support meaningful two-way partnerships between patients and researchers
increase the knowledge and understanding about key issues central to patient-centered healthcare and research

Key Features include:

integrating the patient perspective in all aspects of the conference program
mentoring opportunities to build and strengthen the skills necessary to foster meaningful patient-researcher collaborations
supporting patient organizations to attend the conference

Travel Awards

It is anticipated that funding will be available to support up to 3 awards. The award includes:

complimentary registration (non- transferrable), including conference meals and accommodations
economy airfare

Partial awards may be available (not including airfare).

Successful candidates will be “matched” with mentors with similar backgrounds to:

assist awardees in effectively navigating the conference to meet individual objectives
support awardees in setting clear objectives and defining an “Action Plan” to optimize their attendance at the meeting
assist awardees in understanding and effectively communicating/connecting to the diverse stakeholders at the conference

The “Action Plan” is a one-page planning document that each awardee will use to set both individual and organizational goals for before, during, and after the conference. Mentors will assist successful applicants in developing their “Action Plan” for the conference by outlining goals and objectives, strategies, and desired outcomes.

Application Timeline

Application Deadline: February 15, 2015
Notification: Week of March 1, 2015

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants who meet the following criteria will be considered for the Patient Engagement Program Travel Awards:

represent a registered charity in Canada
be affiliated with a patient organization that serves constituents with genetic diseases
serve in a leadership role (either in a paid or unpaid capacity) with executive, programmatic, policy, or advocacy responsibility

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria include:

benefit/value to the applicant and the organization they represent
contribution to the conference
alignment of organization’s goals, activities and overall mission with the vision of the conference

How to Apply

Please contact us to receive an application form, or access the fillable PDF here
A complete application will consist of:
1. a completed application form
2. a free form cv (maximum 2 pages)
3. a letter of reference from a senior executive or board member of the organization (1 page maximum)
Email a copy of the completed application to André Fortin