Welcome to Season 3 of Heart to Heart Talk — where we speak from the heart, for the heart.

This season, we’ve been talking about some of the toughest parts of clinical research: trust, ethics, access, and what it actually feels like to go through all of this as a patient. In this episode, we’re pulling everything together and looking ahead:

👉 What does real patient-centered research look like?
👉 And how do we actually get there?

Mary is joined by two powerful voices doing this work every day:

Behtash Bahador, Senior Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships at CISCRP, a nonprofit focused on trust, transparency, and helping the public understand clinical research.

DeAnna DuBose, Senior Director of Corporate Patient Engagement at Edwards Lifesciences, who helps connect patients, engineers, and researchers so care is built with patients, not just for them.

Together, they dig into:

• What patient-centered research looks like in real life
• Why trust starts in the community, not the clinic
• How diversity and inclusion make science stronger
• Small but powerful examples of co-creation
• How language, design, and partnership change research outcomes
• What the next 10 years of patient-centered research could hold
• Simple ways anyone can get involved

If you’ve ever wondered where your voice fits in research, this episode will give you a clear roadmap.

🧠 About Our Guests

Behtash Bahador — CISCRP
Behtash is the Senior Director of Community Engagement & Partnerships at CISCRP. His work focuses on building trust, improving understanding, and making research clearer and more accessible for patients and the public. He leads efforts in:
✔ Community education
✔ Plain-language materials
✔ Patient advisory boards
✔ Ethical and transparent communication

🔗 CISCRP: About Us 🔗 Easy To Understand Resources

DeAnna DuBose — Edwards Lifesciences
DeAnna is the Senior Director of Corporate Patient Engagement at Edwards Lifesciences. She brings patient voices into every stage of innovation, from engineering to clinical research. Her work centers on:
✔ Trust and community connection
✔ Clearer, more patient-friendly communication
✔ Inclusive design and decision-making
✔ Making healthcare truly human

🔗 Edwards Lifesciences — Who We Are 🔗 Learn More Here

About HeartBridge Collective
HeartBridge Collective is a patient-led community changing the way heart valve patients and caregivers connect, learn, and feel supported. We bridge real stories, lived experience, and expert insight so patients never have to walk this road alone. Through peer support, honest conversations, and advocacy that pushes the system forward, we’re building a space where every voice matters — and every heart has a place to land.

https://www.maryburrell.com/heartbridgecollective

Bridging hearts, minds, and innovation — one lived experience at a time.

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#PatientCenteredResearch #HeartBridgeCollective

#LivedExperience #HealthLiteracy #HospiceSurvivor

#TricuspidValveMiracle #PatientExperience