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Public & Community
Engagement at ICES
As a research institution that uses data from members of the public in its work, it is important that ICES reflects the values of Ontarians in its practice. ICES is committed to listening to the perspectives of the public, as well as stakeholders who represent communities and knowledge users of data, to shape the way data are used to improve health care for Ontarians.
Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation Office
The Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation office at ICES provides ICES staff, scientists, trainees, and students with support in all aspects of public and community engagement and integrated knowledge translation (i.e., incorporating the insights of a community or stakeholder group throughout the course of a study). On a corporate level, we help to ensure that ICES is meeting its commitment to meaningful engagement with the public, community, stakeholders, and knowledge users.
ICES has created mechanisms to engage the public and communities in issues that matter to them at all levels of the organization. Through public and community engagement, we focus action in four key areas:
- Those that are engagement-focused: the Public Advisory Council and engagement with community organizations.
- Those that build capacity: resources for researchers and material made for the public.
Our Action Plan below describes the desired impacts of these four key actions and our principles of engagement serve as the foundation of this work.
Our Principles of Engagement
We will strive to create engagement strategies that capture the diversity of people living in Ontario.
We will co-design engagement mechanisms and build relationships between the public and the ICES team.
We will value the opinions of the public and reflect these opinions wherever possible.
We will communicate information, including risks, in a truthful and accessible manner to support the public in making informed decisions.
We will report back on how feedback from the public is applied and explain when it is not.
Supporting Engagement at ICES
Public Advisory Council
Engagement with Community Organizations
ICES Public Advisory Council
The ICES Public Advisory Council (PAC) is made up of members of the public from across Ontario and was established in February 2019. The Public Advisory Council guides ICES on what matters most to Ontarians for health data research. The thoughts, perspectives and values of the PAC influence ICES’ research and the way data is used by ICES researchers to improve and evaluate health care.
Engagement with Community Organizations
Engagement mechanisms for connecting with the public or communities on a case-by-case basis help to further our understanding of, and alignment with, public values. Our mailing list allows ICES researchers to promote engagement activities with an established list of individuals from across Ontario interested in opportunities to be a public or community partner, or learn more about health data research. We also engagement with the public and communities to consult on new initiatives related to the use of race and related data at ICES. Please email us to learn more or learn how you or your organization can get involved.
Building Capacity at ICES
Resources for Researchers
Materials Made for the Public
Resources for Researchers
ICES researchers, trainees and staff often engage with the public and/or patients in their projects to understand things that the data cannot always tell them. The Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation office can help provide guidance, unique and tailored resources, and one-on-one consultation – from project inception all the way to result dissemination. We also provide guidance on the use of race and ethnicity data and meaningful community engagement.
As an ICES researcher you can:
- Use the tools and resources available from the Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation Office
- Book a consultation with the Senior Manager of Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation to discuss your project and how you can involve members of the public or communities in your research.
- Share your research project with members of the ICES Public Advisory Council to obtain their perspectives.
- Recruit public or community partners through the public engagement mailing list to be involved in your research project as advisors.
Materials Made for the Public
Clear explanations of who ICES is, what we do, and how we work are essential to effectively engage the public and communities. The resources below provide an introduction to ICES’ work and may be useful for researchers to share with their public/patient/community advisory councils. The Public & Community Engagement, Knowledge Translation office can also help with plain language descriptions for individual projects.
What Does ICES Do?
ICES leads cutting-edge studies that evaluate health care delivery and outcomes. Read the handout to learn more about what we do.
What is Health Administrative Data?
Ontarians produce health data every time they interact with the health care system. Read the handout to learn more about how ICES uses that data for research.
How Does ICES Protect Privacy?
The Ontario government has entrusted ICES with securing its administrative data to evaluate and improve Ontario’s health system. We take that responsibility seriously. Read the handout to see how ICES safeguards data privacy.
Sign-up for Our Mailing List
Interested in how data can improve health care for all Ontarians? Want to share your thoughts and ideas?
Public, patient or community advisors work with ICES researchers and staff to discuss issues and opportunities around health data research. If you live in Ontario and have an interest in how research and data can improve health care and the health of Ontarians, we invite you to sign up to our mailing list to hear about opportunities to become a partner or learn about other research initiatives.