Patient and Public Engagement in Integrated Knowledge Translation Research: Are we there yet?

Learning objectives

1. Understand the concept of patient and public involvement in research and its importance in modern healthcare research.

2. Learn about the different approaches to patient and public involvement in research and their benefits and limitations.

3. Explore the motivations of patients and the public to contribute to research and how to engage them effectively.

4. Understand the challenges and barriers to patient and public involvement in research and how to address them.

Convenor: Associate Professor Shamala Thilarajah, Singapore General Hospital

Biography: A/Prof Thilarajah, is a Part-Time Professional Staff with the Chief Allied Health Officer’s Office, MOH and also a Senior Principal Physiotherapist at Singapore General Hospital. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Physiotherapy) from 2003, a Master of Health Sciences (Neurological Physiotherapy) from 2008, and a PhD in 2018. A/Prof Thilarajah is actively involved in the implementation of the National One-Rehab Framework today. She has worked across the continuum of care in stroke rehabilitation and she is also an advocate for people with stroke and other disabilities, serving as the current elected President of the Singapore National Stroke Association.

Speaker: Ms Tan Ping Tee, Senior Advisor to the Agency for Care Effectiveness, HTA and Consumer Engagement & Education teams

Topic title: Unpacking Patient and Public Involvement: the process and methods

Biography: Ms Tan Ping-Tee is a Senior Specialist in Consumer Engagement and Education (CEE) at the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE), Ministry of Health, Singapore. She leads the CEE team, which develops initiatives for patient involvement in health technology assessment and co-creates educational resources with patient and voluntary organisations to encourage shared healthcare decision-making between patients and their doctors. Prior to joining ACE, Ms Tan was a senior hospital pharmacist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Speaker: Ms Ai Ling Sim-Devadas, Deputy Director, Advocacy and Engagement, NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine Mentor, SingHealth Patient Advocacy Network Member, Global Patient and Family Advisory Board, The Beryl Institute

Topic title: What can people with lived experience contribute to research and why is it needed.

Biography: Ms Ai Ling Sim-Devadas is a patient advocate, breast cancer survivor and patient engagement professional. Committed to grow patient engagement in Singapore’s healthcare landscape, she is bringing patients’ voices to medical research and education as the Deputy Director of Advocacy and Engagement in NTU Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. She is leading the School’s Office of Patient Engagement (OPEN) to deepen patient public partnership for medical research and education. In advocating the patient’s perspective, she is the Founding Co-Chair (2018-2022) and now the Patient Mentor at the SingHealth Patient Advocacy Network, Singapore’s first Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) and also a member of the Agency for Care Effectiveness (ACE) Consumer Panel. Globally, she serves on The Beryl Institute Global Patient and Family Advisory Board as the first Asian board member to bring patients and families’ perspectives from this region.

Speaker: Dr Kinjal Doshi, Insights Therapeutics and Consulting

Topic title:  Why is a strategy for Patient and Public involvement in research important now?

Biography: Dr Doshi is a Clinical and Health Psychologist with more than 10 years of experience working in both the public health and private sectors. In addition to providing psychotherapeutic and assessment services, she is a behavioural and mental health consultant. Dr Doshi is also a clinical and research supervisor with the National University of Singapore. Her research interests include implementation science, behavioural health and integration of health and technology.

Speaker: Dr Marina Charambolous, Clinical Lecturer, Cyprus University of Technology 

Topic title: Supporting people with communication disorders in Patient and Public Involvement (pre recorded)

Biography: Dr Marina has qualified as a speech and language therapist from City University of London and has been practicing in neurological rehabilitation for the past 20 years. She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland where she specialized on Patient and Public Involvement in stroke and Aphasia Research. Dr Marina is a Clinical Lecturer and Researcher at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at the Cyprus University of Technology. She is the coordinator of the Adult University Rehabilitation Clinic for acquired communication impairments. She is a member of the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists UK and the Cyprus Association of Speech and Language Pathologists. Dr Marina is the founder of the Cyprus Stroke Association, a Stroke Support Organization. She is an Inaugural Future Stroke Leader Alumni of the World Stroke Organization. Dr Marina has several peer-reviewed scientific publications and presents her work at international stroke and aphasia conferences.