Project 465781

The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. With a mandate to improve the health of people living with cancer in all communities across Canada, the CCS is a leading pioneer of patient engagement in research that advances scientific knowledge, government policy and healthcare services in cancer care. Patient engagement occurs when individuals with personal experience of a health issue or informal caregivers (including family and friends) are meaningfully involved in the process of research. It has the potential to keep research relevant and reduce the time gap between research results and their use in the real world. In continuing to advance patient engagement in cancer research, decision-makers at the CCS have expressed interests to study varied experiences of patient engagement in key areas, to help inform future planning, decision-making and ongoing commitment to quality improvement. These key areas include strategic planning and governance, implementation of policies and programs, the design and review of funding opportunities (including new grant competitions targeting high fatality cancers and addressing equity in cancer control) and knowledge dissemination. The aim of the proposed program of work is therefore to better understand how engagement works between patient partners and other stakeholders in these key areas at the CCS, and the impacts (positive and negative) that may be experienced. Knowledge created will provide a basis for actions to support further growth of beneficial practices in patient engagement at the CCS and may prove useful to other funders, researchers, and patient partners engaging in cancer research. It will also align well with the mandates of CIHR-IHSPR and CIHR-ICR, as well as the vision and patient engagement and capacity development frameworks of SPOR.