Grace Fox helps patients and researchers collaborate on research projects.
"I do a lot of work with patient engagement. That’s where we co-develop research projects with patient partners, so individuals with lived experience of a condition, in order to get their perspective throughout the development and conduct of clinical research.
Anyone who is interested in coming to The Ottawa Hospital for research, I was a summer student here during my undergrad, and I had an amazing time. I was able to work really closely with lots of other summer students who were in different research fields and working with different supervisors. I know there’s also a summer student seminars session that they put on every year, so that was a really nice way to meet other people just like you and with similar interests, and also getting to learn from them, and gaining new colleagues and having the opportunity to present your research at this seminar session.
One of my major successes would be that I presented my research at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute's Research Day, and I was awarded third place for my presentation, which to me was very rewarding because I’ve always been very shy and nervous to present research in front of others. And so the fact that I made so much progress throughout my time here and I became so comfortable and my communication skills for scientific research really improved, that was a really big success for me.
Being the link between patients and the research team, and sort of facilitating patient engagement and making sure that the patient voice is heard throughout the research project is extremely fulfilling for me. Another aspect of that is that patient engagement is relatively new to research, and it kind of goes against the grain in a sense, it’s not traditional, it’s not aligned with how we usually conduct research. So I also feel like I’m making an impact by changing the course of how research is typically conducted."
Grace was the first author on a study that found engaging patients in laboratory research is possible, and can benefit both the patients and the researchers.
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The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
Media Contact
Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca
