Our Goal: We strive to collaborate with people with lived and living experience (PWLLE) and community partners to identify unmet clinical needs in mental health and substance use disorders. BY integrating their insights, we aim to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact, ensuring that translational advancements in treatments lead to meaningful improvements in patient outcomes.

Our Achievements: Between June 2023 and May 2024, the CAG held three formal meetings and organized a workshop on ‘Youth and Patient Engagement in Research and Care’ at the virtual Let’s Talk Overdose conference on May 7, 2024. CAG members provided key insights on a translational research project within the cluster and contributed to the design of two upcoming clinical trials evaluating a botanical formulation called Traditional Gastrointestinal Remedy (TGIR) for opioid withdrawal and pain management. In 2023, two associated grant applications (SPOR catalyst & CIHR operating grants for TGIR) were submitted, both supported by letters from the MATRIX-N CAG. 

Our Next Steps: We have welcomed 6-7 new members to our Community Advisory Group, further strengthening our ability to support patient-oriented research and guide cluster activities. CAG meetings will resume in January 2025, with a potential focus on collaborating for an upcoming CIHR youth team grant, ensuring that youth play an active role in designing the proposal.