Experts by experience: How people with arthritis help drive our research
02 August 2024
On 10 June 2024 we held a Research Partner Day at Saffron House in London. Bringing together new and seasoned research partners, we offered them the opportunity to share their experiences, meet Versus Arthritis staff and discuss our future research aims.
What is a Research Partner?
Our research partners are ‘experts by experience’. They are people who live with arthritis or another musculoskeletal condition, and work with us to share their insights and requirements.
Versus Arthritis relies on a pool of over one hundred research partners to help us shape our strategy. They ensure that the research we fund is of the highest quality and provides people with arthritis the support they need.
By participating in funding application reviews and working alongside our researchers, their perspective and input helps guide their work, making sure that it meets the diverse needs of people living with arthritis.
Research Partner Day
The main purpose of the event was to give our research partners an opportunity to get to know each other in person and increase engagement.
It was also an opportunity for them to meet face to face with members of Versus Arthritis’ Research Involvement Team and Research Directorate, to ask questions and make suggestions that will help us direct our research more effectively.
"I really enjoyed the mix of information giving and the stretch and mindfulness sessions. The balance was great, and it was really appreciated that you thought about our physical and wellbeing needs.”
The event was opened by Versus Arthritis Chief Executive Deborah Alsina. During the course of the event:
- research partner Amanda Clark and Research Involvement Officer Sarah Yorke gave an update on researcher needs in Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) work.
- the Versus Arthritis Impact Team ran a workshop on impact and researcher partner stories.
- Professor Krysia Dziedzic gave an update on the Keele Primary Care Centre.
Director for Research and Health Intelligence, Lucy Donaldson, who was also in attendance, had this to say about the event:
"The Research Partner event was superb. Our research partner community has a very impressive breadth of lived and professional experience, and we’re really privileged that they have agreed to work with Versus Arthritis to give such an important and necessary voice of lived experienced at all stages of research, from planning to delivery and evaluation."
Eighteen research partners attended, taking the opportunity to listen, learn and network with each other.
The lived experience and input of our research partners is essential in helping us to deliver faster diagnoses and personalised treatments, to develop new services and interventions, and highlight the needs of underserved communities.