The International Society of Advance Alzheimer's Research and Treatment’s (ISTAART) Partnering with Research Participants Professional Interest Area (PIA) awards their Publication of the Year Award to recognize the most impactful publication in the field of Public Patient Involvement and Engagement for dementia from the previous calendar year. Professional Interest Areas (PIA) are assemblies of ISTAART members with common subspecialties or interests. They provide a networking forum, and offer participation in the Alzheimer's Association International Conference and collaborations as well as sharing latest discoveries and techniques with others.
Winning this award is a significant and highly competitive achievement within a specialist international group dedicated to advancing public and patient involvement (PPIE) in dementia and neurological research.
Megan’s award-winning publication set out practical recommendations for strengthening PPIE in digital health research for neurological populations, and importantly, included a PPIE contributor as a co-author. In the paper ‘How can patients shape digital medicine? A rapid review of patient and public involvement and engagement in the development of digital health technologies for neurological conditions’ she reviewed PPIE integration in the development and implementation of digital health technologies for neurological conditions. A set of recommendations were co-created with lived experience contributor Sandra Barker to improve involvement of those affected by neurological conditions in digital health research. This work is an example for best practice in collaborative research.
Earlier this year, Megan co-presented her work alongside PPIE contributor Sandra to the Professional Interest Area group, ensuring that the voices of research participants were not only represented in the research, but also in its dissemination.
Megan said: “We are delighted to have received this award, which truly reflects the value and impact of collaboration between researchers and PPI contributors. By working together, we can ensure digital health research is both meaningful and inclusive for the people it is designed to support.”
Sandra said: “Megan truly deserves this award. Not only was the paper about excellent PPIE, it demonstrated excellent PPIE. From listening to my views to including me as a co-author to inviting me to co-present at a prestigious event, Megan showed a real and genuine commitment to involving someone with lived experience. I am very proud to have been a part of this.”
This recognition highlights the growing importance of meaningful PPIE in shaping high-quality, inclusive research. The awards were presented during PIA Day at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC), which took place in Toronto, Canada in July.