Engage in Research

Why Your Input Matters

All Canadians depend on available medical care, patient services, educational resources, and treatment options to protect their kidney health.

People with lived experience have expertise and experience that cannot be replicated by researchers and clinicians.  Your insight and viewpoint can help researchers, clinicians and researcher programs develop, complete, and communicate their work in a way that resonates with those to whom it matters most.

Lived experience inclusion in research can come in many forms. 

• Study participant: You can participate in a study as a participant.  This may include answering surveys or attending focus groups.  The time commitment might be a single survey, or a series of interviews, and may change depending on the study.
• Lived experience partner: You can become a lived experience partner, joining the research team as an expert in your own right, and help with project design, implementation, and dissemination. This may take more time commitment and can vary study to study.
• Insight and governance:  You can contribute to the research landscape by sitting on committees, participating in peer review, or telling your story.  This may not be project specific, may be an ongoing commitment, or may be a one-time thing.

When you participate in research, you help researchers learn more about what it is like to live affected by kidney disease and move us closer to change for future generations.