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. 2025 May 26;11(1):55.
doi: 10.1186/s40900-025-00729-9.

Partnering for impact: best practices for planning in-person academic events with Patient Partners involvement- Lessons learned from Diabetes Action Canada

Tracy McQuire  1   2 , Jamie Boisvenue  3   4 , Katharine Mackett  3 , Jasmine Maghera  3   4 , Julie Makarski  3   5 , Al Martin  3 , Linxi Mytkolli  3   6 , Mildred Lim  3   6 , Conrad Pow  3   5 , Holly O Witteman  3   7   8   9
Affiliations

Partnering for impact: best practices for planning in-person academic events with Patient Partners involvement- Lessons learned from Diabetes Action Canada

Tracy McQuire et al. Res Involv Engagem. .

Abstract
in English, Spanish

Health-related academic events that focus on patient-oriented research should prioritize the needs and interests of those most affected by their outcomes. Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) has hosted six in-person workshops over eight years, bringing together over 100 participants from research, healthcare delivery, government, non-profit organizations, and communities with lived experience of diabetes. This paper outlines key lessons and best practices from Diabetes Action Canada's collaborative approach to workshop co-design with Patient Partners. For the 2024 workshop, a planning committee, largely composed of Patient Partners, played a central role in shaping the agenda. Their contributions ensured active patient participation, addressed power imbalances, fostered inclusivity, and created supportive spaces. Strategies such as co-designed agendas, symbolic markers for patient-led presentations, and facilitated networking sessions effectively enhanced engagement. Evaluations highlighted the importance of equitable participation and multidisciplinary collaboration, emphasizing the scalability of DAC's co-design principles for diverse research and healthcare contexts. These insights provide a foundation for inclusive, impactful, and patient-centered event planning.

Conferences and meetings are more meaningful when they include the voices of people who are directly affected by the topics being discussed. Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) has been organizing workshops for eight years to bring together researchers, healthcare workers, policymakers, and people living with diabetes. These workshops are designed to ensure everyone, especially those with lived experience, can share their ideas and shape the discussion.For the 2024 workshop, a planning committee made up largely of Patient Partners (people living with diabetes) helped co-design the event. This included creating activities that were welcoming, easy to participate in, and fair to everyone. Special efforts were made to make the event accessible, like sharing agendas early, highlighting patient-led sessions, and creating encouraging ways for people to connect with one another, regardless of their background or role.Feedback from the event suggested that these efforts worked. Participants said they felt included and supported, and many new ideas were shared. These lessons can be used to make future events, research, and healthcare planning more inclusive and effective.

Keywords: Co-design with Patient Partners; Collaborative space; Multidisciplinary collaboration; Patient author; Patient engagement; Patient-led events; Patient-oriented research.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: DAC is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), UHN Foundation through philanthropy and Diabetes Canada. The funding to hold the Workshop was from these sources only. TM, LM, CP, and ML recieve salary support from DAC/CIHR. JB has recieved scholarship funding from DAC. JuM recieves salary support from Diabetes Canada. JaM has recieved Patient Partner compensation from DAC. AM and KM have recieved fellowship funding from DAC. The patient engagement program is funded through DAC and CIHR.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Bar graph showing the increase in Patient Partner attendance at six DAC in-person events, from seven attendees in 2016 to 39 in 2024. (B) Line graph illustrating the rise in presentations featuring Patient Partners as speakers, with the largest increase observed at the DAC 2024 Workshop– “Patient Partners as Agents of Change”
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Summary of key changes made each year based on participant feedback, demonstrating iterative improvements in the approach to foster collaborative and supportive environments that promote patient engagement
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
DAC’s evolution of patient engagement in workshop planning from 2016 to 2024 aligns with Carman et al.’s engagement continuum and the IAP2 Spectrum. The progression highlights specific practices that advanced engagement from consultation to empowerment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research. Canadian Institutes for Health Research. 2023-11-07, https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/41204.html. Accessed 16 Feb 2025.
    1. Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research– Patient Engagement Framework. Canadian Institutes for Health Research. 2019-05-27, https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/48413.html. Accessed 16 Feb 2025.
    1. Diabetes Action Canada. https://diabetesaction.ca/. Accessed 25 April 2025.
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    1. Slowka S. An end to the muffin meeting: conceptualizing power and navigating tokenism in patient engagement for health leaders. Healthc Manage Forum. 2024;37(4):296–300. - PubMed

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