As PER Usual

Meet our guest listener Sasha Kullman : Sasha is a PhD student in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Manitoba , supervised by Dr. Anna Chudyk . She holds a master’s degree from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the same institution, where her research focused on health psychology, health promotion, and patient engagement in research. Funded by a CIHR Canada Graduate...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk speaks with Dr. Sharon Hou (psychologist and assistant professor at Simon Fraser University ) and Laesa Kim (parent partner, and family liaison at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute ) about their work on the Pain Pathway Project , a CHILD-BRIGHT –funded initiative supporting community pediatricians in managing pain and irritability a...

In this onePERspective episode, doctoral student Sasha Kullman reflects on insights from Season 3, Episode 8 of asPERusual, which featured Sara Pot and Alicia Hilderley from RareKids-CAN . Sasha explores how RareKids-CAN’s embedded partnership model moves engagement beyond advisory panels toward shared leadership and organizational integration. She discusses what co-facilitation, trust, and “first...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk speaks with Sara Pott (family partner with lived/living experience) and Alicia Hilderley (clinical-trials researcher) about their shared Patient & Family Engagement Facilitator role at RareKids-CAN , Canada’s pediatric rare disease clinical trials and treatment network. Together, they unpack how pairing lived/living and research experience...

In this onePERspective episode, doctoral student Sasha Kullman reflects on Season 3, Episode 7 of asPERusual , which featured Rae Martens discussing practical tips for engaging children, youth, and families in research. Sasha shares key takeaways on meeting children and youth where they’re at through activities and general approaches, balancing autonomy with parental involvement, creating safe spa...

Overview In this follow-up conversation with knowledge broker and bereaved parent-advocate Rae Martens ( Family Engagement in Research Program / Kids Brain Health Network / Can Child Center for Childhood Disability Research ), we move from principles to practice: how to create developmentally appropriate, emotionally safe, and genuinely collaborative research partnerships with children, youth, and...

In this onePERspective episode of asPERusual , doctoral trainee Sasha Kullman reflects on key take aways from Season 3, Episode 6 of asPERusual , which featured guests Sunday Queskekapow and Brianna Hunt. Sasha emphasizes why framing research around “sensitive topics” — rather than deficit-based terms like “vulnerable” or “marginalized” — shifts power and narrative back to communities. She highlig...

Overview In this latest episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk is joined once again by Brianna Hunt and new guest Sunday Queskekapow to explore what it truly means to engage children, youth, and families with lived/living experiences of sensitive topics—such as homelessness, substance use, and systemic oppression—in health research. Building on their work in the Art as Knowledge Mobilization pro...

In this onePERspective episode of asPERusual , doctoral trainee Sasha Kullman shares how her journey in patient engagement in research has transformed her understanding of what it means to be a researcher. Building on the insights shared by Rae Martens in Season 2 Episode 5 of asPERusual, Sasha discusses how viewing engagement as a psychosocial, relational practice has shaped both her professional...

Overview In this latest episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk welcomes back Rae Martens — knowledge broker with the Family Engagement in Research Program (FER) and a bereaved parent and advocate — to explore how patient engagement is not just a methodological tool, but a deeply psychosocial, relational practice . Rae shares her personal and professional journey, describing how meaningful partne...

In this onePERspective episode of asPERusual , doctoral trainee Sasha Kullman provides her key takeaways on Season 3, Episode 4 , which featured Angie Hamson discussing the roles of professional patient partners in engaging children, youth, and families in quality improvement and governance. Drawing on her own experience as a student researcher engaging directly with youth, Sasha explores three ke...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk sits down with Angie Hamson , a Family Engagement Specialist at the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions . Angie shares her remarkable journey from being the parent of a medically complex child to becoming a patient partner in volunteer and professional appointments - holding roles across advisory boards, nonp...

In this onePERspective episode of asPERusual , we pass the mic from long-time patient partner Kathy Smith to new guest host Sasha Kullman — a doctoral trainee exploring how to meaningfully engage children, youth, and families in research. Sasha shares thoughtful, personal reflections on Season 3, Episode 3, which featured Brianna Hunt, Michelle Roy, and Onalee Garcia-Alecio in a powerful conversat...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual , host Anna Chudyk launches a new series focused on engaging children, youth, and families in research. Joined by Brianna Hunt (Patient Engagement Coordinator at the Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba ), Michelle Roy (parent Patient Advisory Group member for the iCare study ), and Onalee Garcia-Eliseo (youth Patient Advisory Group member for t...

In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on patient engagement within the Can-SOLVE CKD Network -- a Canada-wide network of patients, scientists, and health care professionals devoted to creating innovative kidney care solutions. Tune in to this short (~10 minute)...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual, host Anna Chudyk sits down with Melanie Talson and Cathy Woods from the Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome Chronic Kidney Disease (Can-SOLVE CKD) . Key discussion topics include: * Patient Leadership at the Heart of Research: Can-SOLVE CKD is a pan-Canadian, SPOR-funded network driven by patient voices — especially through its Patient Go...

In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on Building capacity with the SPOR IMAGINE Network. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or get the Coles notes of the full SPOR IMAGINE Network episode . Episode...

Overview We’re baaaaaaaaaack! In the season 3 premiere of asPERusual – a podcast for practical patient engagement , host Anna Chudyk sits down with Aida Fernandes, Sandra Zelinsky, and Deborah Marshall from the IMAGINE Network—a national initiative focused on understanding the brain-gut connection in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This episode explores the piv...

Welp, it's a wrap folks! Welcome to the last episode of Season 2 of asPERusual and onePERspective. In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on SPOR CHILD-BRIGHT. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or ge...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual, host Anna Chudyk sits down with Carrie Costello , Annette Majnemer and Gillian Backlin from the CHILD-BRIGHT Network . Our discussion includes: * An overview of CHILD-BRIGHT, including its key activities and ways to get involved; * Different ways in which CHILD-BRIGHT is actively seeking to increase diversity within their network; * Practical considerations...

In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on Patient Advisor Network's Reimagining the Research Landscape report. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or get the Coles notes of the full Reimagining the Res...

Overview In this episode of asPERusual, host Anna Chudyk sits down with Alies Maybee and Donna Rubenstein from the Patient Advisors Network to discuss the recently published Reimagining the Research Landscape Report . This patient led-report examined ~200 patient partners’ perspectives on the future of patient-oriented research in Canada. Tune in to learn about the three main take-aways from the r...

In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on SPOR Canadian Data Platform. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or get the Coles notes of the full SPOR Canadian Data Platform episode. Episode Transcript: An...

Episode overview In this episode of asPERusual, host Anna Chudyk sits down with representatives from the SPOR Canadian Data Platform to learn about the different ways the network is engaging Canadians in conversations about their health data. Key topics covered include: * the ways in which multi-regional data access contributes to a learning health system, * how health data can contribute to impro...

In this feature segment of asPERusual, guest listener and patient partner Kathy Smith offers a short recap and her key takeaways from last week's episode of asPERusual focused on SPOR Diabetes Action Canada. Tune in to this short (~10 minute) episode, regardless of whether you want to compare reflections or get the Coles notes of the full Diabetes Action Canada episode. Episode Transcript: Anna: H...