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Elizabeth Chambers, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The FER Course came at a perfect time in my life when I was jumping into the field of medical research. The support, information and insight I gained helped me move from active participant, to becoming fully involved in research projects with the confidence and knowledge to be a valuable member of the team. I am so grateful for the experience and would recommend it to anyone."Dr. Christine Chambers, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Dalhousie University“I’ve been delighted to have several of my graduate students take the Family Engagement in Research” Course over the years and I can’t say enough great things about the experience, for the students and for me! This course provides a unique experience for students to learn from, and collaborate directly with, family partners in a way that is meaningful. My students have developed tremendous insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with family engagement. They have co-developed research tools with family partners that are incredibly useful and impressive. And the students have brought all their energy and learnings back into the lab, adding further depth to my own research program in children’s pain management.”Suzanne Deliscar, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"I decided to take the FER Course as a relatively new parent-partner with one year experience. I unequivocally recommend the FER Course as an in-depth overview of patient-oriented research and the ways in which individuals with lived experience can partner with researchers. I am amazed at how lived experience in pediatric settings can be translated into informing the ways in which pediatric research studies are created and conducted, from start to finish. I am delighted and proud to have had the opportunity to co-create my first Knowledge Translation (KT) tool with my team, and I feel all the more equipped to become more involved as a parent-partner in the future. Thank you to McMaster University, CanChild, and the Kids Brain Health Network for the opportunity.”Dr. Christine Imms, Researcher Graduate, The University of Melbourne“In Australia we have been working in research partnership with parents and young people with disability and other health conditions for a few years. Both researchers and parents/young people are seeking more support through education and resource development. The Family Engagement in Research Course has been delivered to a Melbourne Children’s Campus specific cohort with great success: positive feedback, new relationships formed, and excellent knowledge translation resources developed. We are keen to continue to provide educational support across our networks through a tailored program for our setting. This includes co-designing a program that is suitable and appealing to young people.”Dr. Michelle Batthish, Researcher Graduate, McMaster University"The FER course was an outstanding experience in learning how to best engage parents in research. I had an amazing time meeting and learning from other healthcare providers and more importantly from parents who took the course with me. I now feel better equipped to work alongside parents as research partners."Amanda Doherty-Kirby, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The knowledge and connections I gained through taking the FER course opened up a whole new world for me. I had already been sharing our family's experiences with others through online Facebook groups, but to have the opportunity to use our lived experience to inform research was exactly what I was looking for even when I did not know it existed. Taking the FER course with caregivers, researchers, and others showed me that we can indeed work together, provided a support network, and equipped me with skills and confidence to enter the world of family engagement in research. Today, I am an active patient and public partner on research projects and advisory groups and am actively sharing about partnering in research and connecting others to opportunities. This is fulfilling my childhood dream of being a helper."Elizabeth Chambers, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The FER Course came at a perfect time in my life when I was jumping into the field of medical research. The support, information and insight I gained helped me move from active participant, to becoming fully involved in research projects with the confidence and knowledge to be a valuable member of the team. I am so grateful for the experience and would recommend it to anyone."Dr. Christine Chambers, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Dalhousie University“I’ve been delighted to have several of my graduate students take the Family Engagement in Research” Course over the years and I can’t say enough great things about the experience, for the students and for me! This course provides a unique experience for students to learn from, and collaborate directly with, family partners in a way that is meaningful. My students have developed tremendous insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with family engagement. They have co-developed research tools with family partners that are incredibly useful and impressive. And the students have brought all their energy and learnings back into the lab, adding further depth to my own research program in children’s pain management.”Dr. Christine Imms, Researcher Graduate, The University of Melbourne“In Australia we have been working in research partnership with parents and young people with disability and other health conditions for a few years. Both researchers and parents/young people are seeking more support through education and resource development. The Family Engagement in Research Course has been delivered to a Melbourne Children’s Campus specific cohort with great success: positive feedback, new relationships formed, and excellent knowledge translation resources developed. We are keen to continue to provide educational support across our networks through a tailored program for our setting. This includes co-designing a program that is suitable and appealing to young people.”Dr. Michelle Batthish, Researcher Graduate, McMaster University"The FER course was an outstanding experience in learning how to best engage parents in research. I had an amazing time meeting and learning from other healthcare providers and more importantly from parents who took the course with me. I now feel better equipped to work alongside parents as research partners."Amanda Doherty-Kirby, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The knowledge and connections I gained through taking the FER course opened up a whole new world for me. I had already been sharing our family's experiences with others through online Facebook groups, but to have the opportunity to use our lived experience to inform research was exactly what I was looking for even when I did not know it existed. Taking the FER course with caregivers, researchers, and others showed me that we can indeed work together, provided a support network, and equipped me with skills and confidence to enter the world of family engagement in research. Today, I am an active patient and public partner on research projects and advisory groups and am actively sharing about partnering in research and connecting others to opportunities. This is fulfilling my childhood dream of being a helper."Elizabeth Chambers, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The FER Course came at a perfect time in my life when I was jumping into the field of medical research. The support, information and insight I gained helped me move from active participant, to becoming fully involved in research projects with the confidence and knowledge to be a valuable member of the team. I am so grateful for the experience and would recommend it to anyone."Dr. Christine Chambers, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Dalhousie University“I’ve been delighted to have several of my graduate students take the Family Engagement in Research” Course over the years and I can’t say enough great things about the experience, for the students and for me! This course provides a unique experience for students to learn from, and collaborate directly with, family partners in a way that is meaningful. My students have developed tremendous insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with family engagement. They have co-developed research tools with family partners that are incredibly useful and impressive. And the students have brought all their energy and learnings back into the lab, adding further depth to my own research program in children’s pain management.”Dr. Christine Imms, Researcher Graduate, The University of Melbourne“In Australia we have been working in research partnership with parents and young people with disability and other health conditions for a few years. Both researchers and parents/young people are seeking more support through education and resource development. The Family Engagement in Research Course has been delivered to a Melbourne Children’s Campus specific cohort with great success: positive feedback, new relationships formed, and excellent knowledge translation resources developed. We are keen to continue to provide educational support across our networks through a tailored program for our setting. This includes co-designing a program that is suitable and appealing to young people.”Dr. Michelle Batthish, Researcher Graduate, McMaster University"The FER course was an outstanding experience in learning how to best engage parents in research. I had an amazing time meeting and learning from other healthcare providers and more importantly from parents who took the course with me. I now feel better equipped to work alongside parents as research partners."Amanda Doherty-Kirby, Family Partner Graduate, Canada"The knowledge and connections I gained through taking the FER course opened up a whole new world for me. I had already been sharing our family's experiences with others through online Facebook groups, but to have the opportunity to use our lived experience to inform research was exactly what I was looking for even when I did not know it existed. Taking the FER course with caregivers, researchers, and others showed me that we can indeed work together, provided a support network, and equipped me with skills and confidence to enter the world of family engagement in research. Today, I am an active patient and public partner on research projects and advisory groups and am actively sharing about partnering in research and connecting others to opportunities. This is fulfilling my childhood dream of being a helper."Interested in the FER Course?
The FER Course is a fully integrated 10-week (~30 hours) McMaster University micro-credentialed online course. The course has been co-developed and is co-instructed by people with lived/living experience and researchers. The FER Course is unique in that it is designed to build trusting relationships between people with lived/living experience and researchers. We achieve this by enabling co-learning in a safe and welcoming environment. For every individual who is trained, we empower them with knowledge, skills, and confidence to meaningfully engage in research.
Watch this video to learn more about the FER Course!
Course Highlights
Approach
We foster an approach of co-learning, where researchers and family partners work alongside each other.Time Commitment
The course will take place over 10 weeks with approximately 30 hours that you will be dedicating to the course. The course includes 4 synchronous sessions, and we provide an option of a day and evening time for each synchronous session. The other 6 weeks of the course will include asynchronous activities. In addition, it is expected that you will be meeting regularly with your group to complete the final assignment.Requirements
We ask students to complete weekly activities, which include readings, a group reflection post based on question prompts, and an individual response post to comment on a group’s post.Who Is This Training For?
Families & Researchers
We welcome individuals from all levels of experience. You do not need to have prior experience in research and/or family engagement in research to take this course.
If you are interested in the FER course as a group or in your organization, contact fer@mcmaster.ca to learn more and work with us to bring this training to your group or organization!
Our Vision
Our vision is to transform the culture of engagement in health research.Our Mission
Our mission is to train, mentor, and mobilize the next generation of advocates, champions, and leaders in family engagement in research.Our Values
The FER Training Program is rooted in our shared values of building and fostering authentic relationships, clear and transparent communication, empathy and compassion, co-creation, and respect for different types of knowledge and experience.Frequently Asked Questions
The course takes place for 10 weeks.
The course is offered two times a year, during the Fall and Winter.
The course includes 4 synchronous sessions, and we provide an option of a day and evening time for each synchronous session. The other 6 weeks of the course will include asynchronous activities. For each week, we ask you to complete activities which include readings, a group reflection post based on question prompts, and an individual response post to comment on a group’s post. In addition, it is expected that you will be meeting regularly with your group to complete the final assignment.
To receive a microcredential for the course, we ask that you complete at least 7 of the 10 activities for each week.
You will be taking the course with researchers and families with lived experience. These individuals come from all different levels of experience with partnering in research, from beginners to some experience. Researchers and families may come from different educational backgrounds, as well as lived experience. Some individuals may wear multiple hats, in which they are both a researcher and family member with lived experience.
The co-instructors are previous students of the course, including both researchers and family partners.
No, you do not need to have any prior research experience! We will be describing and providing examples of family engagement in research, and any background information about research that is needed will be explained in the course. We also ask students to complete a final project in groups and we encourage you to work with your peers to learn from each other. If you are interested in learning more about engagement in research, you may be interested in the Patient-Oriented Research Curriculum In Child Health (PORCCH) modules that are available for free online at this link.
The course has a fee of $800 for researchers.We do offer a limited number of scholarships. We encourage trainees and research coordinators to reach out to their supervisor for funding. We do prioritize the scholarships for those who are not able to pay the course fee.If you have any additional questions about the course, please contact our Training Director, Sam Micsinszki, fer@mcmaster.ca
If you are a family member with lived experience and would like to hear more about the course, please contact our Knowledge Broker, Rae Martens, martensr@mcmaster.ca
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