In today's health landscape, consumer involvement is crucial for high quality and impactful clinical research. Funders now recognise the importance of including consumer voices in grant applications. While meaningfully interweaving community needs and lived experiences into research can be challenging due to factors like rigid organisational processes and knowledge gaps, researchers are increasingly looking for innovative strategies and best practice approaches to bridge these gaps. This growing commitment is paving the way for greater levels of involvement and more effective partnerships between people with lived experience and health researchers.

In this discussion led by Janelle Bowden, Community and Consumer Research Consultant, experts from diverse research backgrounds and lived experiences including Emma Tinkler, a consumer advocating and living with Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis; Karena Conroy, Manager of the Consumer and Community Involvement Program at The George Institute; Robert Monaghan, the inaugural Manager of First Nations Health Research at the Kirby Institute; and Steven Marsh, Consumer Chair for Consumer and Community at NeuRA—highlighted the importance of engaging consumers and people with lived experience in research. They explored why genuine collaboration between researchers and those with lived experience not only enriches the research process but also drives more relevant, meaningful, and transformative outcomes.