Research Advisory Council
We are forming a Research Advisory Council and seeking members!
Do you have lived experience of an eating disorder or disordered eating, or are you a family member/caregiver of someone who does? Would you like to have a say in what research goes on in the MEAL group?
If you answered “yes” to those questions, you might consider joining our Research Advisory Council (RAC)! The RAC will be formed with the aim of engaging patients, caregivers, families, and health system stakeholders as partners in the research process.
Maritime Eating and Appearance Lab (MEAL)
The Maritime Eating and Appearance Lab is a bi-campus partnership between researchers at the University of New Brunswick and Dalhousie University. It was established in 2022 by Dr. Aaron Keshen, M.D. and Dr. Emilie Lacroix, PhD. Researchers at MEAL come from several different backgrounds including psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work. MEAL’s research is focused on disordered eating and body image, including questions related to their development, prevention, treatment, and comorbidity with other mental health concerns.
Why Form a Research Advisory Council (RAC)?
We recognize the importance of including diverse perspectives and experiences that are often overlooked or underrepresented in research. This initiative will help ensure that MEAL research studies focus on patient-identified priorities and are conducted in a patient-centred manner, ultimately leading to better outcomes and potential health system improvements.
What Will Membership Entail?
Recognized as key members of the MEAL team, RAC members will be involved in research on an ongoing basis. RAC members will collaborate in setting their own roles and responsibilities, which may include:
Priority setting: Helping to identify knowledge gaps and set research priorities
Co-designing research: Planning research projects, drafting proposals for funding
Analysis: Helping to interpret and contextualize research findings
Knowledge translation: Co-producing plain language summaries and infographics to help share research findings
Implementation: Advising to support the integration of evidence-based interventions into practice
Advocacy: Advocating for changes that can improve the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in the Maritimes
At this stage, there is a lots of flexibility in terms of when and how you contribute.
RAC Members will be compensated via honorariums in line with the CIHR Patient Partner Compensation Guidelines.
How Do I Join?
To express your interest, please complete this survey. Once we have reviewed your responses, we will contact you about next steps. It could take a little while for you to hear from us (don’t worry, that’s normal). In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email us at meal@unb.ca.