This tool kit is a practical guide for Unity Health Researchers. It provides guidance on how to onboard community members with lived experience and expertise that have been hired to collaborate on health/social sciences research. These individuals work in partnership with Unity Health researchers on topics that they have firsthand expertise in, and/or on issues whose outcomes affect their lives and the lives of those living in the broader community.
This toolkit was developed by the Unity Health research community in response to the need for clear direction among Unity Health research teams on best practices to onboard community researchers with lived experience/expertise into new research projects or teams. Community researchers working with Unity Health research staff have identified that the initial onboarding process lays the foundation for meaningful engagement throughout the research journey.
Therefore, to ensure that research on health equity truly reflects the experiences, expertise, and needs of community members, it is crucial for Unity Health researchers to prioritize effective onboarding of community researchers from an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI anti-racism) lens.
Who is this toolkit for?
This toolkit is aimed at Unity Health research staff, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and principal investigators who…
- Are thinking of collaborating with community researchers with lived experience in future research endeavours, OR
- Are already collaborating with community researchers with lived experience and would like to improve their onboarding processes and team function for new community researchers who join their work, AND
- Are either planning or currently engaged in collaborations with community researchers with lived experience.