Professional development and education
Peter Chiraseveenuprapund, MD, MS
University of California - San Diego
San Diego, CA, United States
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships with ineligible companies to disclose
Young adult patients are vital assets in health care research and program development, yet are often left adrift by the U.S. health care system. Their lived experience and demographic makes them important voices for providing honest feedback and ideas to improve patient care. However, to do this, they need the skills and space to share their stories. This session’s goal is for clinicians and decision-makers to see these patients as untapped potential, recognize their value to health care systems, and help activate these voices.
The Young Patients’ Autoimmune Research and Empowerment Alliance (YP AREA) is working to change the narrative, promoting the prioritization of young patients’ stories in research, clinic, and hospital spaces. YP AREA’s mission is to convene young patients with autoimmune conditions, train them to translate their day-to-day experiences living with chronic illness into actionable suggestions for how to transform healthcare, thus producing patients who are primary collaborators with clinicians and healthcare systems.
YP AREA Council Members will discuss why involving young adult patients in research and advisory groups is essential to effective health care. They will also share their stories as young adults with autoimmune diseases and discuss their experiences with YP AREA as expert patients. The session will cover topics like how to engage young adult patients into your healthcare conversation, what makes successful YP AREA projects and collaborations, how young adult patient input can transform quality of care, and guidance on how to mobilize young adult patients that may benefit various health care projects.
Panelist: Catherine Ames, BA – University of Southern California
Panelist: Ela Chintagunta, -None- – Grinnell College
Panelist: Anya Khurana, BS – Young Patients' Autoimmune Research & Empowerment Alliance
Panelist: Madison Snider, BA – Young Patients' Autoimmune Research & Empowerment Alliance
Panelist: Courtney Wells, PhD, MPH, MSW – University of Wisconsin-River Falls
