VIRTUAL EVENT - DECEMBER 9, 2025
Engaging in Research: The Art & Science of Coproduction
Presented as part of the CBITN’s EDIA Core Curriculum for the 2025-26 funding year, Dr. Heather Gainforth will present an interactive session on the themes of community engagement and coproduction.
Dr. Gainforth will discuss their research that aims to create authentic partnerships in spinal cord injury (SCI) research. This talk will explore research partnerships between researchers and those who use research by drawing on the integrated knowledge translation (IKT) guiding principles. Dr. Gainforth will highlight the challenge of tokenism and discuss how principled collaboration is key to creating research that is not only scientifically rigorous but also relevant and impactful to people who use research. The talk will also cover practical strategies for upholding these principles and the systemic changes needed to support genuine research partnerships.
About Heather Gainforth
Dr. Heather Gainforth is an Associate Professor in behavioural and implementation science at the University of British Columbia Okanagan within the Centre for Health Behaviour Change. She is also Principal Investigator and the Associate Director of Meaningful Engagement in the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries. She is a leader in meaningful engagement and research coproduction, helping to bridge the gap between researchers and those who use research. Through her work, she has led an international partnership who co-developed guiding principles for conducting and disseminating spinal cord injury (SCI) research in partnership.
