Stuart Nicholls

Background

About Stuart Nicholls

I am a Scientist in the Methodological and Implementation (MIR) program at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) and am the program lead for the Office for Patient Engagement in Research Activities (OPERA). The main focus of my work is patient engagement in health research - the active collaboration with patients, families, caregivers or communities in governance, priority setting, developing the research questions, and even performing certain parts of the research itself. My research falls within four main areas, all of which aim to improve the methods and implementation of patient engagement in research: 1. Understanding and/or explaining what influences implementation outcomes: e.g. barriers and facilitators to engagement in research (including use of resources) & building solutions. Describing the processes and practices of engagement in research (esp. underserved areas & focus on equity) 3. Conducting ethical analyses of engaging with people with lived experience (PWLE) and communities in research (research ethics and ‘everyday ethics’) 4. Improving the evidence base and quality of engagement and evaluating the implementation of patient engagement These goals are achieved by combining research with practice through OPERA, which provides consultation services, training, and resources for teams wishing to engage patients, families, or caregivers as partners in research. For more details see: