At our Year 1 eDyNAmiC Symposium, we organized a fireside between lead patient advocate, Dave Chuter, and investigator and WP4 lead, Dr. Mariam Jamal-Hanjani. They spoke about the importance of involving patient advocates in guiding the science and the benefit that each brings to the other. After the chat, we asked team members to reflect on the chat, share their feedback, and contemplate how the chat helps them frame the importance of their work. As one investigator remarked, “We have the privilege of working with patient advocates from whom we have learnt to ensure that the patient is always at the heart of our research.”

“I found the Fireside chat particularly rewarding as it reconnects and reminds me that the existence of the patient was why I first wanted to pursue cancer research. As a trainee who spent years in benchside work, it was a rather unique experience to hear patients’ perspectives on the work we do. Being told by a patient that our work means a lot to them is very empowering and motivating, as it reassures that we are making a difference with the work we do every day.”

– Ivy Wong, Mischel Lab

“Interfacing with patients and patient advocates at the Fireside chat motivated me to connect two elements of my career that I am very passionate about – scientific discoveries that benefit human health. As a trainee, I am deeply focused on building technical scientific discovery platforms but have struggled to find ways to connect with patients, whom I care deeply about, until becoming a part of eDyNAmiC. The Fireside chat provided a roadmap for me to compartmentalize complex scientific discoveries into clear progress, impact and timeline that ultimately results in more effective and empathetic communication with patients. I am grateful to be a part of team eDyNAmiC where I now have the ability to extend scientific impact beyond the laboratory directly to patients.”

– Kristen DeMeester, Cravatt Lab