Effective patient engagement means stronger research outcomes

MSSU can help!

Recruiting Patient/Public Partners is essential for meaningful and impactful health research. These five practical tips will help you build strong partnerships, foster inclusive engagement and ensure that patient voices shape your research in a meaningful way.

Build Relationships: Connect with people who have the most to benefit from your research, including local or national organizations that represent them. The relationships you develop with potential partners will provide a strong foundation for your current and future research projects. Ideally, they will work with you to identify priorities and ensure your research is relevant to them.
Be Ready to Engage: Patient oriented research is an approach that requires respect for the lived experience of patient partners, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to establish relationships based on trust. There are tools available to help you reflect on your readiness for patient-oriented research, which can be found here and here (with video).
Choose the Right Engagement Method: In some populations, the traditional method of engaging patient partners to be part of the research team isn’t realistic. Engaging communities or groups can be more accessible and inclusive. CHI Methods of Engagement can help your team find the right way to engage at any stage of your research project.
Recruit for Diversity: For research to have the most impact, we need to increase the diversity of voices engaged in health research [Roche et. al., 2020; Abelson et al., 2022]. Consider missing perspectives or experiences in the research and try to include them and share opportunities broadly and beyond your close network.
Adopt a Reflexive Approach: A reflexive and ethical approach will help avoid tokenism and ensure that engagement is meaningful. You can find guidance for ethical considerations when working on patient-oriented research activities and projects here.

The MSSU can help you identify relevant lived and living experiences, connect with patient partners and organizations and share engagement opportunities through our network and social media. We provide resources and tools to guide your approach, from selecting partners to building respectful, reciprocal relationships. Our team can also help you explore creative methodologies, navigate engagement methods and ensure your research is truly patient-oriented.

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Love Data Week 2025

Data access consultations available

This month the MSSU celebrated Love Data Week (February 10-14) by highlighting how we work with our provincial data centres and engage patient partners in data governance. By bridging the gap between researchers and data holders, the MSSU plays a key role in making sure data is accessible and used in ways that benefit patients and communities.

Interested in accessing data for your patient-oriented research? MSSU data access navigators are here to help! Access our research services by clicking the button below.

MSSU Research Services

Call for applications: MSSU Trainee Support Program

Deadline to apply is March 21

Applications are now open for our annual funding opportunity for research trainees in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The MSSU Trainee Support Program builds capacity for students undertaking research that both meaningfully engages patients and addresses their health priorities. Key eligibility requirements include that all trainees supported by this award be supervised by a MSSU Scientist in the Maritimes and applicants must complete the CIHR-IMHA Patient Engagement Training and include the certificate with their application. A Patient/Public Partner must also be engaged throughout the research project.

Learn more

Congratulations to Nova Scotia grant recipients

MSSU-supported projects and scientist awarded research funding

The MSSU is proud to celebrate the success of patient-oriented research projects receiving funding through Research Nova Scotia’s Focused Research Investments (FRI) initiative. On January 28, 2025, ResearchNS announced $27 million in funding for four projects—three of which are connected to MSSU’s work in advancing patient-oriented research.

MSSU-Support

Homeward Bound: Enhancing Healthcare, Housing, and Social Support for Aging Rural Nova Scotians

Lead: Dr. Alison Grittner (Cape Breton University)

Funding: $12.4 million

Unifying Networks to Innovate (UNITE): A Whole-of-System Approach for Youth Mental Health

Leads: Drs. Jill Chorney (MSSU Scientist), Jenny Baechler, and Lori Wozney (MSSU Science Lead for LHS)

Funding: $6.5 million

MSSU Scientist

Etuaptmu’k W’loti: Using Mi’kmaw Knowledge to Create Health & Wellness Solutions

Leads: Dr. Margot Latimer(MSSU Scientist) and John R. Sylliboy (IWK Health and Tajikeimɨk)

Funding: $7 million

We congratulate all the researchers, patient partners, and teams involved in these impactful projects.

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RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Multiple myeloma molecular monitoring (M4) cohort study

With Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month (March) just around the corner, we want to remind you of an ongoing pan-Canadian project on multiple myeloma led by Dr. Tony Reiman, MSSU Science Lead for the Saint John site. This project aims to find better ways to treat this deadly, incurable cancer in patients who do not respond to current treatments. Reiman says the study has completed enrollment of 96 patients and research publications from this national study have emerged and are continuing.

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Enabling Pharmacist Prescribing: Lessons Learned in Nova Scotia

Pharmacy practice in Nova Scotia has changed significantly since pharmacist prescribing was first introduced in 2011. An MSSU project found that pharmacist prescribing is now common in the province. Our research also identified actions to help address the challenges pharmacists face and strengthen their role in prescribing. These strategies are tailored to different groups, each with a role to play in ensuring pharmacists can continue to provide safe, effective and accessible care.

Read the publication and recommendations

The Effects of COVID-19 and Related Restrictions on Health Service Use in New Brunswick

New Brunswick's healthcare system faced major disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Appointments were canceled, surgeries were delayed, and people were advised to avoid hospitals unless facing a serious medical emergency. While these measures aimed to protect public health, questions remain about their long-term impact on healthcare access and delivery. This research by New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT), supported by the MSSU, examines how pandemic-related restrictions affected health service use, comparing New Brunswickers' healthcare patterns before and during the pandemic.

Read the report

PATIENT ENGAGEMENT

MSSU 2025/26 Trainee Support Program Selection Committee

Help shape the future of patient-oriented research! We are seeking Patient/Public Partners to review trainee applications for our Trainee Support Program.

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Precision dosing in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Are you a caregiver or family member who is currently, or has recently (within 5 years), supported their newborn admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)? Researchers are looking for a patient to serve as a co-investigator.

Learn more

Are you on the list?

Get engagement opportunities delivered to your inbox

Every time a new engagement opportunity is posted on our MSSU website subscribers will receive an email notification with a direct link to view the opportunity. This process is designed to make it easier for patients and the public to stay connected and engaged with projects that could benefit from their valuable input. You can sign up at the bottom of our Patient Engagement Opportunities webpage.

View all opportunities to get involved in health research.

Submit an opportunity to engage patients in your research project.

EVENTS & TRAINING

Knowledge

The Evolution of Public Health Mobile Units in Nova Scotia

March 6, 2025 | 12 p.m. AT

Online | ENGLISH

The Public Health Mobile Units were launched in December 2020, as a nimble part of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Whether operating from specially equipped vans or community clinics, these interdisciplinary healthcare teams are continuously learning and adapting to meet the needs of Nova Scotians, particularly those from underserved communities. In this session, Holly Gillis and Louise Hanavan will share how an evaluation and engagement process helped inform the evolution of the Public Health Mobile Units—and some tips for engaging interested parties in health service improvement.

Patient-Oriented Research Training: Online Practicum

April 23, 2025 | 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. AT

Online | ENGLISH

The Maritime SPOR SUPPORT Unit offers a 2.5-hour Patient-Oriented Research training practicum for individuals who have completed the four modules of the CIHR-IMHA’s e-learning A How-to-Guide to Patient Engagement in Research. This hands-on practicum focuses on patient engagement in the Maritimes and provides practical advice, resources, and opportunities for networking and discussion.

Trainee Information Webinar

Did you miss the MSSU Trainee Support Program information webinar on February 26? Don't worry, we recorded the session. Watch now to learn about the program, application process and more!

Watch on YouTube

OTHER NEWS & EVENTS | SPOR COMMUNITY

Quality of Care NL Healthy Discussions: Patient/Public Engagement

February 28 at 11:30 a.m. AT

HDRN Health Data for All of Us: A Public Dialogue on AI in Health

April 29, 2025

OSSU Research Day 2025

April 10 (online or in-person)

PUBLICATIONS

Co-authored by MSSU Scientists Dr. Mathew Grandy, Natalie Kennie-Kaulbach, Dr. Samina Abidi, Jo-Anne Wilson

Optimizing Prescribing for Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disease through the Development and Validation of Algorithms for Community Pharmacists | January 2025

If we've supported your patient-oriented research and/or you've published your findings, let us know by emailing communications@mssu.ca to include in our next newsletter.