Haley Brunelle, Megan Gallagher

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

research

Format:

lecture

Subject Level:

beginner

Age Span:

infant / toddler
preschool
kindergarten - grade 6
grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

family member / caregiver
healthcare administration
university professor / personnel

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

0.01

ACVREP CEs:

1

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Date and Time (Central Daylight Time):

  • October 22, 2026
  • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Location:

Plaza 2

Description:

If you’ve tried bringing people with lived experience into your research and walked away thinking, “That didn’t go how I hoped,” you’re not alone, this session is for you. Meaningful Family Engagement in Research (FER) isn’t mysterious or overwhelming; when done well, it can transform the quality, relevance, and impact of your work. FER is an evidence based approach that builds genuine partnership between researchers and individuals with lived experience (family members, caregivers, and self advocates) whose insights reshape research from the ground up. At Gillette Children’s, we’ve spent years learning how to move beyond tokenism toward authentic co production. In this session, Gillette’s FER leaders will share how they implemented FER best practices, the catalysts and barriers they encountered, and the strategies that helped build a sustainable culture of engagement.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• As a result of this activity participants will be able to define community and family engagement in research with attention to the role of lived experience partners.

• As a result of this activity participants will be able to discuss why formal training is necessary to build capacity, community and resilience for community and family engagement.

• As a result of this activity critically reflect on constraints and opportunities to champion engagement within different organizational and network settings.

Disclosures:

Haley is employed at Gillette Children's.

Megan is employed at Gillette Children's.