It has always been our intention to put youth at the center of our work, and we are thrilled to announce that this structure is now in place at CHILD-BRIGHT!
Dolly Menna-Dack
Last year, we formed a Youth Engagement Steering Committee and mandated this committee to help us establish our youth panel as well as its mandate, terms, priorities, and membership.
Dolly Menna-Dack, Clinical Bioethicist & Youth Engagement Strategy Lead at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital chaired this committee. This steering committee also included representatives from multiple provinces, members with lived experience in brain-based developmental disabilities, and experts in the field of paediatric engagement, ethics, and science.
“It has been a pleasure for me to lead this exciting initiative, and today, I’m happy to help introduce this new panel, which will be called the CHILD-BRIGHT National Youth Advisory Panel (NYAP),” says Dolly Menna-Dack.
“CHILD-BRIGHT is committed to the ideals of patient-oriented research, firmly believing that research designed, conducted, reviewed, and disseminated alongside patient-partners will increase the impact of that research. CHILD-BRIGHT has also, in numerous ways, demonstrated its commitment to patient partnership. For example, it is guided by its Citizen Engagement Council, and recently put in place a Parent Mentor. These innovative ideas have allowed for pan-Canadian involvement of families, scientists, and adults living with brain-based developmental disabilities to come together and contribute to the CHILD-BRIGHT Network,” adds Dolly Menna-Dack.
The NYAP will further support CHILD-BRIGHT by providing the youth lived experience lens to the work being done by the network. Meeting on a regular basis, youth advisors with brain-based developmental disabilities from across the country will review research protocols, recruitment strategies, communication plans, and dissemination activities.
And without much ado, please click below to meet each of our new National Youth Advisory Panel (NYAP) members, and click here to read about their first in-person gathering and training session!
MATHIAS
MAYA
MIKE
HANS
LOGAN