The Patient Expertise in Research Collaboration centre (PERC) aims to promote and support the meaningful and appropriate engagement of patients in primary health care (PHC) research in Ontario. PERC provides expertise, resources and tools, and methods support to build capacity in patient oriented PHC research. PERC supports researcher partnerships with patients, families, caregivers, citizens, and communities, to conduct research that addresses patients’ needs, preferences, values, and priorities for their health and health care.
Expandable List
PERC’s Advisory Board includes eight patient-partners with expertise in patient and community partnerships in health research and health services design and delivery. Each person brings unique lived experience as patients, family members, and/or caregivers. PERC’s Advisory Board is gender-diverse, racially diverse, geographically diverse (rural/urban), and reflects disparate experiences with chronic and life-limiting conditions, including arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, diabetes, dementia, and mental health challenges. Some of PERC’s patient advisors are very experienced in research partnership, while others have more recently become partners.
The Advisory Board is also comprised of researchers recognized for their expertise in patient- and community-partnered research. Dr. Ganann is Co-Scientific Director of the Aging, Community and Health Research Unit and Co-Lead of the McMaster Collaborative for Health and Aging (i.e., the Ontario SPOR SUPPORT Unit’s centre on aging research). Dr. MacNeil has expertise in patient engagement, technology, seniors’ health and wellness, and policy. Drs. Ganann and MacNeil recently served on the MOHLTC’s Evaluating Patient Engagement Working Group to support implementation and evaluation of patient engagement in health services design and delivery in Ontario. Dr. Vivian R Ramsden (RN, Professor in the Department of Academic Family Medicine, University of Saskatchewan) is internationally recognized for her expertise in primary health care and participatory research methods to achieve meaningful change for people and communities.
PERC’s activities include providing access to expertise, timely support, resources and tools, and strategic advice in response to consultation requests. PERC engages with researchers funded through the INSPIRE-PHC research program and evaluates patient engagement within INSPIRE-PHC. PERC’s activities serve to extend the reach of the group locally, nationally, and internationally to enhance patient engagement in primary health care research.
Foundations of PERC (Former Members)
Lorraine Bayliss
Lorraine Bayliss is a qualified teacher at both secondary and elementary levels with additional qualifications as a teacher of the gifted and learning disabled. Also served as a board wide resource teacher for the second largest board in North America, and later as a school administrator. Her motivation for getting involved with patient oriented research is having lived with juvenile onset diabetes for 48 years.
She has been invited to serve as the chair of the Citizens’ Panel with the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network. Being in education led Lorraine to being actively involved as (SPOR) Masterclass faculty member co-presenting with the faculty from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine on the Conduct and use of Patient Oriented Research.
Lorraine has acted as a presenter for the current online Masterclass Webinar, a presenter at TUTOR – Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) Western University. She also serves on the OSSU Patient Partnership Working Group PPWG and as a member of Patient Advisors Network (PAN).
Lorraine has co-presented at Primary Health Care Research Day on the success of a Partners in Research course for patients and researchers; and for an award winning poster at the North American Primary Health Care Conference. She has helped organized a support group at Women’s College Hospital and later Toronto General for Type 1 diabetics. Lorraine also serves as an advisory member for the Type 1 Diabetic Think Tank (T1DTT). In her younger days she actually worked with Dr. Charles Best, co-discoverer of insulin.
Lorraine Bayliss
Divya K. Bhati
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Divya received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the Institute of Health Management Research University, India (a WHO Collaborating Centre for District Health System based on Primary Health Care). She currently works as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruyère Research Institute affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Her postdoctoral research focuses on patient engagement in research. She also holds a post graduate diploma in Digital Health from Algonquin College, Ottawa. Prior to this, she gained valuable experience working as a Senior Research Officer at International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India. In 2012, she received a ‘Young Researcher Grant’ award focusing on child health rights under the Future Health Systems (FHS) junior faculty and postgraduate student awards. FHS- a research consortium head quartered at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with IIHMR University as one of the global partner. Her research interests include effective patient engagement, interdisciplinary research, and social determinants of health.
Divya K. Bhati
Simone Dahrouge
Research Advisor (Primary Health Care Research)
Simone Dahrouge is a Scientist at the Bruyere Research Institute and Vice-Chair Research for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is Deputy Chair for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Her current research is in the area of population health and primary care, more specifically focusing on organization of primary care health services research and its effects on quality and equity of care.
(PAN), a national community of practice for patient and family advisors/partners. PAN is focused on building the capacity for advisors/partners to become more effective in their engagements.
Simone Dahrouge
Ian Graham
Ian is Senior Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Nursing at the University of Ottawa. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and an Honorary Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University, Melbourne Australia. Ian obtained a Ph.D. in medical sociology from McGill University.
His research focuses on knowledge translation research (the process of research use) and conducting applied research on strategies to increase implementation of evidence-informed practice and policy. His research program also includes studying how partnerships between researchers and knowledge users (including patients) work and their impact.
Ian Graham
Claire Ludwig
Claire’s passion for patient engagement evolved following diagnosis and treatment for a serious illness. During the acute treatment and maintenance phases of her illness, Claire had the opportunity to work as a patient advisor on research projects related to cancer symptom management. Claire is also a PhD candidate at the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. Her illness and treatment had such an impact on her worldview that she has harnessed these experiences and focused her doctoral work on patient engagement, specifically engaging frail and/or seriously ill patients as partners in research. In her professional life, Claire is a senior health care leader in the home and community care sector and understands first-hand the importance of developing health services in collaboration with patients and caregivers in order to better serve their needs in the communities in which they live.
Claire Ludwig
Alies Maybee
As a patient advisor, Alies Maybee brings her experience as patient and caregiver plus her professional background as business analyst for technology companies and as partner in a brand consultancy. At her local hospital, Alies was the initial co-chair of the newly formed Community Engagement Council. And she is one of two initial PFAs (patient and family advisors) in the hospital. At the system level, she has participated on many projects and panels on various aspects of healthcare.
Alies works with Health Quality Ontario developing performance measures from the patient perspective. And she is a member of the inaugural Citizens Panel for the Toronto Central LHIN and the West Sub Region group. In the area of research, Alies spent three years on the Research Management Committee of CFN (Canadian Frailty Network) and a year on the ARTIC (Adopting Research to Improve Care) Operational Committee in the same role. She is a patient partner for BeACCoN, the Ontario PIHCI and is on the operational committee for INSPIRE. She was a member of the CFN citizen engagement working group looking at how best to involve patients and families in research. She has been a partner in over 10 research projects.
Alies has been trained by CIHR (Canadian Institutes for Health Research) to deliver their patient oriented research curriculum. She also conducts workshops on partnering with citizens in research. The workshops were developed together with fellow patient partners as part of the Ontario SPOR Demonstration project she led. She is a co-founder of the Patient Advisors Network.
Alies Maybee
Lorraine Bayliss
Lorraine Bayliss is a qualified teacher at both secondary and elementary levels with additional qualifications as a teacher of the gifted and learning disabled. Also served as a board wide resource teacher for the second largest board in North America, and later as a school administrator. Her motivation for getting involved with patient oriented research is having lived with juvenile onset diabetes for 48 years.
She has been invited to serve as the chair of the Citizens’ Panel with the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network. Being in education led Lorraine to being actively involved as (SPOR) Masterclass faculty member co-presenting with the faculty from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine on the Conduct and use of Patient Oriented Research.
Lorraine has acted as a presenter for the current online Masterclass Webinar, a presenter at TUTOR – Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) Western University. She also serves on the OSSU Patient Partnership Working Group PPWG and as a member of Patient Advisors Network (PAN).
Lorraine has co-presented at Primary Health Care Research Day on the success of a Partners in Research course for patients and researchers; and for an award winning poster at the North American Primary Health Care Conference. She has helped organized a support group at Women’s College Hospital and later Toronto General for Type 1 diabetics. Lorraine also serves as an advisory member for the Type 1 Diabetic Think Tank (T1DTT). In her younger days she actually worked with Dr. Charles Best, co-discoverer of insulin.
Lorraine Bayliss
Lorraine Bayliss is a qualified teacher at both secondary and elementary levels with additional qualifications as a teacher of the gifted and learning disabled. Also served as a board wide resource teacher for the second largest board in North America, and later as a school administrator. Her motivation for getting involved with patient oriented research is having lived with juvenile onset diabetes for 48 years.
She has been invited to serve as the chair of the Citizens’ Panel with the Ontario Drug Policy Research Network. Being in education led Lorraine to being actively involved as (SPOR) Masterclass faculty member co-presenting with the faculty from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry the Western Centre for Public Health and Family Medicine on the Conduct and use of Patient Oriented Research.
Lorraine has acted as a presenter for the current online Masterclass Webinar, a presenter at TUTOR – Transdisciplinary Understanding and Training on Research – Primary Health Care (TUTOR-PHC) Western University. She also serves on the OSSU Patient Partnership Working Group PPWG and as a member of Patient Advisors Network (PAN).
Lorraine has co-presented at Primary Health Care Research Day on the success of a Partners in Research course for patients and researchers; and for an award winning poster at the North American Primary Health Care Conference. She has helped organized a support group at Women’s College Hospital and later Toronto General for Type 1 diabetics. Lorraine also serves as an advisory member for the Type 1 Diabetic Think Tank (T1DTT). In her younger days she actually worked with Dr. Charles Best, co-discoverer of insulin.
Divya K. Bhati
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Divya received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the Institute of Health Management Research University, India (a WHO Collaborating Centre for District Health System based on Primary Health Care). She currently works as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruyère Research Institute affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Her postdoctoral research focuses on patient engagement in research. She also holds a post graduate diploma in Digital Health from Algonquin College, Ottawa. Prior to this, she gained valuable experience working as a Senior Research Officer at International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India. In 2012, she received a ‘Young Researcher Grant’ award focusing on child health rights under the Future Health Systems (FHS) junior faculty and postgraduate student awards. FHS- a research consortium head quartered at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with IIHMR University as one of the global partner. Her research interests include effective patient engagement, interdisciplinary research, and social determinants of health.
Divya K. Bhati
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Divya received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the Institute of Health Management Research University, India (a WHO Collaborating Centre for District Health System based on Primary Health Care). She currently works as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Bruyère Research Institute affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Her postdoctoral research focuses on patient engagement in research. She also holds a post graduate diploma in Digital Health from Algonquin College, Ottawa. Prior to this, she gained valuable experience working as a Senior Research Officer at International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), India. In 2012, she received a ‘Young Researcher Grant’ award focusing on child health rights under the Future Health Systems (FHS) junior faculty and postgraduate student awards. FHS- a research consortium head quartered at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health with IIHMR University as one of the global partner. Her research interests include effective patient engagement, interdisciplinary research, and social determinants of health.
Simone Dahrouge
Research Advisor (Primary Health Care Research)
Simone Dahrouge is a Scientist at the Bruyere Research Institute and Vice-Chair Research for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is Deputy Chair for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Her current research is in the area of population health and primary care, more specifically focusing on organization of primary care health services research and its effects on quality and equity of care.
(PAN), a national community of practice for patient and family advisors/partners. PAN is focused on building the capacity for advisors/partners to become more effective in their engagements.
Simone Dahrouge
Research Advisor (Primary Health Care Research)
Simone Dahrouge is a Scientist at the Bruyere Research Institute and Vice-Chair Research for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is Deputy Chair for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Her current research is in the area of population health and primary care, more specifically focusing on organization of primary care health services research and its effects on quality and equity of care.
(PAN), a national community of practice for patient and family advisors/partners. PAN is focused on building the capacity for advisors/partners to become more effective in their engagements.
Ian Graham
Ian is Senior Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Nursing at the University of Ottawa. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and an Honorary Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University, Melbourne Australia. Ian obtained a Ph.D. in medical sociology from McGill University.
His research focuses on knowledge translation research (the process of research use) and conducting applied research on strategies to increase implementation of evidence-informed practice and policy. His research program also includes studying how partnerships between researchers and knowledge users (including patients) work and their impact.
Ian Graham
Ian is Senior Scientist in the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Nursing at the University of Ottawa. He is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Nursing at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario and an Honorary Professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Deakin University, Melbourne Australia. Ian obtained a Ph.D. in medical sociology from McGill University.
His research focuses on knowledge translation research (the process of research use) and conducting applied research on strategies to increase implementation of evidence-informed practice and policy. His research program also includes studying how partnerships between researchers and knowledge users (including patients) work and their impact.
Claire Ludwig
Claire’s passion for patient engagement evolved following diagnosis and treatment for a serious illness. During the acute treatment and maintenance phases of her illness, Claire had the opportunity to work as a patient advisor on research projects related to cancer symptom management. Claire is also a PhD candidate at the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. Her illness and treatment had such an impact on her worldview that she has harnessed these experiences and focused her doctoral work on patient engagement, specifically engaging frail and/or seriously ill patients as partners in research. In her professional life, Claire is a senior health care leader in the home and community care sector and understands first-hand the importance of developing health services in collaboration with patients and caregivers in order to better serve their needs in the communities in which they live.
Claire Ludwig
Claire’s passion for patient engagement evolved following diagnosis and treatment for a serious illness. During the acute treatment and maintenance phases of her illness, Claire had the opportunity to work as a patient advisor on research projects related to cancer symptom management. Claire is also a PhD candidate at the School of Nursing, University of Ottawa. Her illness and treatment had such an impact on her worldview that she has harnessed these experiences and focused her doctoral work on patient engagement, specifically engaging frail and/or seriously ill patients as partners in research. In her professional life, Claire is a senior health care leader in the home and community care sector and understands first-hand the importance of developing health services in collaboration with patients and caregivers in order to better serve their needs in the communities in which they live.
Alies Maybee
As a patient advisor, Alies Maybee brings her experience as patient and caregiver plus her professional background as business analyst for technology companies and as partner in a brand consultancy. At her local hospital, Alies was the initial co-chair of the newly formed Community Engagement Council. And she is one of two initial PFAs (patient and family advisors) in the hospital. At the system level, she has participated on many projects and panels on various aspects of healthcare.
Alies works with Health Quality Ontario developing performance measures from the patient perspective. And she is a member of the inaugural Citizens Panel for the Toronto Central LHIN and the West Sub Region group. In the area of research, Alies spent three years on the Research Management Committee of CFN (Canadian Frailty Network) and a year on the ARTIC (Adopting Research to Improve Care) Operational Committee in the same role. She is a patient partner for BeACCoN, the Ontario PIHCI and is on the operational committee for INSPIRE. She was a member of the CFN citizen engagement working group looking at how best to involve patients and families in research. She has been a partner in over 10 research projects.
Alies has been trained by CIHR (Canadian Institutes for Health Research) to deliver their patient oriented research curriculum. She also conducts workshops on partnering with citizens in research. The workshops were developed together with fellow patient partners as part of the Ontario SPOR Demonstration project she led. She is a co-founder of the Patient Advisors Network.
Alies Maybee
As a patient advisor, Alies Maybee brings her experience as patient and caregiver plus her professional background as business analyst for technology companies and as partner in a brand consultancy. At her local hospital, Alies was the initial co-chair of the newly formed Community Engagement Council. And she is one of two initial PFAs (patient and family advisors) in the hospital. At the system level, she has participated on many projects and panels on various aspects of healthcare.
Alies works with Health Quality Ontario developing performance measures from the patient perspective. And she is a member of the inaugural Citizens Panel for the Toronto Central LHIN and the West Sub Region group. In the area of research, Alies spent three years on the Research Management Committee of CFN (Canadian Frailty Network) and a year on the ARTIC (Adopting Research to Improve Care) Operational Committee in the same role. She is a patient partner for BeACCoN, the Ontario PIHCI and is on the operational committee for INSPIRE. She was a member of the CFN citizen engagement working group looking at how best to involve patients and families in research. She has been a partner in over 10 research projects.
Alies has been trained by CIHR (Canadian Institutes for Health Research) to deliver their patient oriented research curriculum. She also conducts workshops on partnering with citizens in research. The workshops were developed together with fellow patient partners as part of the Ontario SPOR Demonstration project she led. She is a co-founder of the Patient Advisors Network.