RePORT Patient Advisory Council: Part 2 with Kim Giroux, Anni Rychtera, and Nancy Verdin

PEP Talks

Send us a text

Episode Introduction
In this episode, Part 2 of 2, we explore how deliberate and flexible strategies can create an ecology of inclusiveness, support, mutual respect, and co-building for meaningful patient engagement in health research. Patient Research Partners are integral members of the team, informing project design, participant recruitment strategies, data collection and analysis, and knowledge translation activities. Patient Research Partners are also involved in the implementation and dissemination of research results. Join us as we discuss the importance of patient engagement and involvement in the Re-Purposing the Ordering of Routine laboratory Tests (RePORT) study where people with lived experiences work together with academic researchers as active and equal team members.
Bios
Kim Giroux, is actively engaged as a patient research partner on several teams. She is especially interested in helping to reduce waste in healthcare, empowering patients to take an active role in their own care, knowledge translation and mobilization, equity in healthcare, and fostering interprovincial collaboration aimed at enhancing the efficiency of healthcare systems. Currently, she is a co-chair for the RePORT Patient Advisory Council.

Anni Rycthera, is a Health Sciences College Educator and former Nurse Practitioner with a background in Holistic Health. As an immigrant and mother of two, her personal health challenges include respiratory illness, nerve pain from sports injury, and as a cancer survivor. These experiences have shaped her advocacy for informed patient care and equal health partnerships. She has volunteered extensively with UVIC’s self-management programs and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Over a decade ago, she started collaborating with CIHR SPOR and the BC SUPPORT Unit on patient-oriented research activities. Currently, she co-chairs the SPOR Patient Engagement National Community of Practice (SPENCoP) and is a Co-Chair for the RePORT Patient Advisory Council.

Nancy Verdin, has lived with kidney failure for 36 years and was one of the first in Alberta to do home, nocturnal hemodialysis. Her extensive experience includes ER visits, surgeries, and procedures. After her mother’s battle with dementia, she became a patient partner in 2017 with the Kidney Health Strategic Clinical Network, which sponsored her PaCER training. This training opened up new opportunities in partnering in patient-research. Nancy is a retired occupational therapist with 33 years of experience, including 30 years as a hand specialist. Her career has balanced clinical practice with patient experience, and she has contributed to numerous research projects, co-authored papers, and enjoyed co-presenting with fellow researchers.
Publications
Re-Purposing the Ordering of Routine Laboratory Tests in Hospitalized Medical Patients (RePORT): protocol for a multicenter stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial to evaluate the impact of a multicomponent intervention bundle to reduce laboratory test over-utilization (July 2024)

Operationalizing the principles of patient engagement through a Patient Advisory Council: Lessons and recommendations (November 2023)