What is meaningful patient engagement? The National Health Council (NHC) considers patient engagement in research meaningful if it includes “direct relationships and partnerships that are bidirectional, reciprocal, and continuous; communications are open, honest, and clear; engagement goals, participants, methods, desired impacts, and actual impacts are clearly outlined and transparent.”  

On May 8-9, the National Health Council (NHC) will host the 2024 Science of Patient Engagement Symposium (SPES)! One of four annual NHC marquee events, SPES explores how the science of patient engagement is evolving and generating new evidence. It is an opportunity for research leaders to share their experiences, accomplishments, best practices, and resulting impacts on medicine and science regarding patient centricity with a broad, scientific audience. 

This year’s theme is Patient Experiences Through their Lifespan. Why focus on a patient’s lifespan? As noted above, meaningful patient engagement is when patients and their family caregivers are recognized as equal partners and integrated into all phases of science, research, and medical product development. Examining the specific needs of patients and their family caregivers as they go from pediatric patients to adolescents to young adults and beyond can give insights into the important multi-faceted needs of each generational cohort. The priorities of an adolescent patient leaving for college, for example, may differ from an adult patient ready to start a family or an older patient who is retired.  

At SPES 2024, sessions will explore these complex issues and follow a generational journey from pediatric patients to geriatric patients, looking into their unique research and patient engagement needs. During this event, you will have the opportunity to: 

• Develop an understanding of the applicability of patient engagement research into action and practice across the lifespan of a patient; 
• Discuss the importance of meaningful patient engagement of diverse /historically underrepresented populations and generations into research and science; 
• Identify synergistic research opportunities between researchers, patients, and patient advocacy groups; and 
• Exchange innovative and thought-provoking research ideas and agendas. 

There are also exciting speakers in the lineup for this years’ Symposium, including: 

• Col. Steven Coffee, Chief of Staff, National Security Agency, Co-Founder, Patients for Patient Safety U.S. 
• Elizabeth Franklin, PhD, MSW, Head, U.S. Public Affairs and Patient Advocacy, Oncology, Sanofi 
• Kapil Parakh, MD, MPH, PhD, Senior Medical Lead, Google 

This year, the two-day Symposium will be held at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.