Patient Training


To ensure patients and caregivers at all levels of patient-engagement experience have the right skills, expertise and knowledge to be effective partners in the research system, OSSU and its network provide training in patient-oriented research, including how to:

  • engage in health research
  • understand patient roles
  • partner with researchers
  • apply learnings to real-world projects
  • connect with others engaged in patient-oriented research.

CIHR Foundational Curriculum in Patient-Oriented Research

BEGINNER LEVEL: New to Patient-Oriented Research

This course is currently under redevelopment and is moving from an in person modular course to a virtual asynchronous format.

This resource is designed to equip interested learners, including patients, researchers, health care professionals and other stakeholders, with the basic skills and knowledge to engage meaningfully in patient-oriented research.

Dates for future delivery of the Foundational Curriculum in Patient-Oriented Research are to be determined.


Patient-Oriented Research Training & Learning – Primary Health Care (PORTL-PHC)

(NEW) BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: New and some experience in patient-oriented research

Patient-Oriented Research Training & Learning – Primary Health Care (PORTL-PHC) is a self-directed, online training program designed to meet the learning needs of stakeholders who are interested in engaging in, or using, patient-oriented primary health care research.

The training program includes four inter-linked modules: 1) Patient Priorities and Patient Engagement in Primary Health Care; 2) Methods and Examples of Patient Engagement in Primary Health Care Research; 3) Skills Development in Patient Engagement and Patient-Oriented Research; 4) Applying Patient-Oriented Research in the Learner’s Own Context.

Please see attached flyer here for more information and how to sign up.


Partners in Research (PiR): Online training opportunity

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: Some experience with patient-oriented research

One of seven online training programs being developed with OSSU support, the Partners in Research (PiR) program is an online training environment provided by St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. This course consists of 4 live web-based sessions and is designed for patients, families/caregivers and healthcare researchers. The PiR course will focus on how patients, families, and healthcare researchers can work together to improve health research and healthcare. It is delivered by a combination of researchers and patients.

Workshop highlights
  • A personalized online learning environment to help you set and meet your individual patient-oriented research learning goals
  • Interactive activities and discussions to help you build capacity in applying patient-oriented research principles to real-world projects
  • Connect with others who are interested in or already involved in patient-oriented research
  • Access to a variety of useful resources on patient-oriented research.

For more information on the PiR course, see here.


McMaster Health Forum | Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis

McMaster has a number of resources designed to help patients partner fully in health research:

Finding and using research evidence: a guide for citizens

BEGINNER LEVEL: New to Patient-Oriented Research

An eight-module online course (occasionally offered as a webinar) designed to help patients and citizen’s find and use research evidence. Click here to learn more.


Using Patient-Oriented Research to strengthen Ontario’s health system

BEGINNER LEVEL: New to Patient-Oriented Research

Click here to learn more about this online course for citizens.


Ontario’s Health System: Key Insights for Engaged Citizens, Professionals and Policy-makers

BEGINNER LEVEL: New to Patient-Oriented Research

Online line book about Ontario’s health care system. Click here to view sample chapters from the book.


10 things you need to know about how Ontario’s health system works

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL: Some experience with patient-oriented research

This webinar features a discussion by Drs. John Lavis and Vasanthi Srinivasan on the book. Click here to view the webinar.

More information is available on the Learn How section of the McMaster Health Forum website.


Virtual Masterclass: The Use and Conduct of Patient-Oriented Research

ADVANCED LEVEL: Significant experience with patient-oriented research

Master the art of patient-oriented research with a virtual Masterclass presented by the McMaster Health Forum. Policy-makers and managers, patients and families as well as researchers will learn practical skills in informative and interactive weekly online classes.

Registration is now closed for all Virtual Masterclass offerings. We hope to provide additional offerings in the future.


Masterclass: The Use and Conduct of Patient-Oriented Research

ADVANCED LEVEL: Significant experience with patient-oriented research

This intensive 3-day course immerses researchers, patients, caregivers, policy-makers and healthcare providers in the fundamentals of how to conduct and champion patient-oriented research (POR) with tools, resources and more. It is taught by leaders in the field, with stimulating presentations from healthcare and government speakers.

Click here for more information on the Masterclass.


OSSU Capacity Building Compendium

The Capacity Building Compendium is a comprehensive catalogue of training courses on patient-oriented research offered in Ontario. This third edition contains 53 entries, including free online resources and tools, seminars and symposia series, and training programs.

The Capacity Building Compendium is an ongoing work in progress and its contents are not an exhaustive list of capacity building initiatives in Ontario. We welcome your suggestions about how the Capacity Building Compendium should be expanded or made more useful for you. Readers are encouraged to send suggestions for the Capacity Building Compendium content and format to ossu@ossu.ca and to share this document with others.