Patient & Community Partners​

    Clinical Trials Education Designed With and For You​

    Our goal is to help individuals connect meaningfully with research in ways that reflect their goals, values, and lived experiences—while encouraging research teams to collaborate authentically with patient and community voices.

    This is a unique learning stream co-created with patient and community partners to meet the real needs of patients, families, caregivers, and the public.

    Grounded in lived experience, this stream addresses key gaps in the clinical trials training landscape by offering training for patients and community partners of all types.

    Whether you’re exploring clinical trials for
    personal understanding or envisioning a future role in shaping or leading research, this stream offers a flexible path rooted in self-directed growth—not institutional metrics.

    What You’ll Gain

    • A deeper, practical understanding of how clinical trials work​
    • Tools to engage confidently as a participant, partner, advocate, or leader​
    • Knowledge that supports your personal goals and community impact​
    • Opportunities to connect your experience with real-world research​

    Learning Pathways​

    Choose from a series of self-paced, accessible courses tailored to your interests and comfort level:​

    Patients as Participants

     Learn the basics of clinical trials—what they are, how to find them and how to decide whether participation is right for you or your loved ones. This program covers potential risks and benefits, ethical considerations, and what to expect during the trial process.

    Patients as Partners

    Discover how to actively collaborate with research teams and health-care professionals. This program explores how to contribute meaningfully to study design and implementation, recognize and avoid tokenism, and access
    partnership opportunities.

    Patient Advocacy

    Build the skills to champion patient-centred research. This program focuses on effective communication, navigating health-care systems, influencing policy and raising awareness about the importance of patient involvement in
    research.

    Patient Leadership

    For those ready to take on a leadership role in research, this program provides guidance on becoming a co-researcher or even leading your own study. Topics include funding, ethics, authorship, regulatory requirements and the role of a principal investigator.

    Start your journey by registering on the CANTRAIN Learning Management System (LMS). All courses are free and open to the public.

    Newsletter

    To find out more about Clinical Trials Training Programs in Canada, follow our quarterly development and progress