Catalyst for Change Award Winners!
Catalyst for Change Award Winners!
By kristalamb | Posted date: June 20, 2024 |
In May, Diabetes Action Canada (DAC) awarded the first ever Catalyst for Change Awards to three Patient Partners.
The Catalyst for Change Award celebrates Patient Partners who have made outstanding contributions to advancing patient-oriented diabetes research and care, embodying transformative achievements in our community.
The 2024 winners are:
Kate Farnsworth – Mom of a daughter with T1D and supporting a family member with T2D, champion for DIY and other technologies to improve outcomes for people with T1D, and a longstanding member of the DAC Innovations in Type 1 program team.
Ryan Hooey – Person living with T1D and vision loss, advocate for increased accessibility and a member of DAC’s diabetic retinopathy screening program team.
Matt Larson – Person living with T2D, advocate for those experiencing diabetes and homelessness, and a long-time member of the Campbell Lab’s project aimed at improving outcomes for those experiencing homelessness while living with diabetes.
As with all DAC programs, Patient Partners were at the heart of developing this award and co-designing the nomination and selection processes.
“Our Patient Partners had requested this award for years,” says Patient Engagement Lead, Linxi Mitkolli. “We, as a team, did scoping and research on how other networks and organizations all over the world honour their patient partners. Then we brought the ideas to our Patient Partners to co-design how we would implement it.”
Patient Partners helped determine the nomination criteria, ensuring it was transparent and clear, and were part of the selection committee deciding. They participated in every step of the process, including suggesting and supporting a panel discussion by the winners at the DAC Workshop to give Patient Partners increased voice at the event.
Nominations were open to all members of the DAC community, including researchers, Patient Partners, and staff. Self-nominations were encouraged and appreciated.
Congratulations Kate, Ryan and Matt!
Featured in Article
Kate Farnsworth
Matt Larsen
Related Webinars
Tele-ophthalmology program in Canada with Diabetes Action Canada
Associated Programs
Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
Knowledge Mobilization and Evaluation
Patient Engagement Through an EDI Lens
Related Podcasts
Diabetes and Homelessness
Episode one features an interview with Patient Partner Anna DiGiandomenico and University of Calgary researcher Dr. David Campbell who discuss their work on a research program that’s shedding light on the impact of homelessness on diabetes treatment and care.
Closed Loop Technolgies and the DIY Community
Episode three features an interview with Patient Partner Kate Farnsworth and Dr. Bruce Perkins about closed loop technologies and the DIY looping community.
Reducing the Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy
Episode five looks at Project OPEN and its potential to reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy. Malcolm Sissmore and Dr. Michael Brent from UHN Research discuss how this program is trying to make eye screening much more accessible for people living with diabetes.