In terms of addressing the patient-researcher partnership, one of the things we have done, I think successfully in our network, is to look at ways to bring patients and families as co-researchers into our studies—not as participants, not as people we are studying, but as people who are helping us be team members, to help us design our studies, evaluate our studies, and set the research priorities. They participate in our peer review.
We have looked at patients and families as having experience. Lori talked about her experience of going through the donation process. We have a number of family members who have gone through the deceased donation process and are helping to inform our research studies, so that we are asking the right questions, engaging with families in the right way, and designing the research in a way that will have an impact and address concerns of patients and families.