Since Fraser Centre’s inception, they are proud to have convened a group of interested patients and people with lived experience in the health system to become patient partners on research teams. Over time, this group of patients came together to form the PIiR (Patients Interested in Research) group.
The PIiR group has been an integral component of a rapid response to COVID-19 research and evaluation, having actively been involved in provincial strategic research advisory groups, rapid evidence review activities, and informing the evaluation of Fraser Health’s COVID-19 response. Many PIiR members have also served as patient partners on research teams, in particular Long-Term Care and Assisted Living, Point-of-Care testing, and Opioid Agonistic treatments.
Over the course of the pandemic, this group has evolved into a name more fitting to their skillset – Research Ready Patient Partners (R2P2).
"The shift … to R2P2 opens up a myriad of exciting opportunities for authentic contribution toward Patient-Oriented Research. Many of us are not just passively interested in research, but are actively involved in research." – Reflections from an R2P2 member
R2P2s receive bi-weekly communications to inform them of sharing opportunities for both partnerships and learning, and links to research programs or capacity-bridging activities identified by the group and the Fraser Centre’s Patient Engagement Specialist, Bev Pomeroy. R2P2s continue to evolve and expand as they steward an environment for patient-oriented research in the Fraser-Salish region.
The R2P2 group is always open to interested members of the public who are keen to get involved with health research and evaluation at Fraser Health. At the request of the R2P2s, Fraser Centre will be facilitating an intensive research capacity-bridging series in topics like grant writing, evaluation, and equity in research.
If you are interested in learning more about the R2P2 group as a potential member, or about how the R2P2 can inform your research, contact the Fraser Centre at frasercentre@bcsupportunit.ca.