Patient Scholarships for the 2018 Infoway Partnership Conference - due by Aug 15

[A Former User]

Hey all. Has anyone in PAN heard about receiving any of these scholarships. They said fhat patients or families who applied should hear on Sept 15. But that was a Saturday (yesterday) so curious if anyone heard. Thanks all and have a great day!!!

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[A Former User]

Hi Heather,

I received my not so empathetic, "Thanks but no thanks" this evening. Hope you were successful. Finger crossed to all that applied.

[A Former User]

Hey there.

I am so sorry. I’ll let you know what I hear. If anything. Lol.

Take care.

Heather

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[A Former User]

Hi Heather,

I heard others just received their notices yesterday. I am not sure if there was another round of notices that went out? Have you heard anything?

Fingers still crossed.

Dia

[A Former User]

I still have not heard anything, either, Heather. Keep us posted!

[A Former User]

Actually I emailed them and I was told email sent but I didn’t ever get it. So I told them they had better figure out a way to ensure that your audience got their emails. Perhaps that is why so long to hear. I didn’t get accepted. They said it was like winning the lottery which concerns me as they did ask a lot of questions for us to take time together elaborate on. I truly hope they didn’t just pick out of hat but when I get a comment like I did I ponder this. I did have a long discussion with one of their employees yesterday on this topic of applying for conferences and trying to think up some other ways to engage advisors. As I said not all have fancy CV’s or maybe can’t do lengthy essays. So now to think how they can bring patients and families into conferences in s fair and meaningful way. Time will tell. Thanks for asking. Guess we both are sad. Lol.

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[A Former User]

Hi Heather,

I just received my rejection letter today as well. I've tried for 3 years and have yet to be successful in attending their partnership conference.

I would like to know for transparency, how the participants were chosen. If it was a draw, then perhaps in future, they should say that upfront as filling in these applications takes a lot of time and energy (and similarly, if it is a draw, why bother having an application in the first place - just let us submit our names and which Province we are from!)

My impression of the organization with regards to patient engagement is that they need to be more transparent; I am unclear how patients get involved in their steering committee (if they have one) for this conference etc.

[A Former User]

Hi Kimberly

I agree with you. I don’t know for sure how they did choose but I do know that he did say in my email “ it’s like winning the lottery”. So not sure how to take it. I do know often if organizations know some advisors they are often asked back. If they are asked to apply there should be more transparency. Perhaps we patients need to ban together and send a collective voice email about this and ask for more transparency. Perhaps is patients get to go one year then the next year their name is taken out. So another person could go. I have tired too for three years to no avail. It’s extremely disappointing and more often than not we do not have the funds to go on own. I know health systems are under money crunches so they can’t send us. Maybe our provinces should have an extra fund for us to apply for funding so we can go but put us to work after and share what we learn. A win win I think for we get info and then share to other advisors. I know I would do that.

Time will tell. I think I will start sending letters.

Good conversation and I am so sorry your not attending too.

Take care.

Heather

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[A Former User]

Good point about whether or not it was a draw -right now, we don’t know and I think that’s part of the problem - the lack of clarity around the selection process.

*Sigh* - all very frustrating.

[A Former User]

I am not sure if this is helpful. However, a friend had inquired about the selection process last year and this was the response that they received. I am not sure if they have changed their process for 2018.

"The scholarship process was designed by the patient advisors, who set the criteria and format, and also had a role in judging. Infoway staff also had a role in judging. Over 140 applications were received, so it was a very difficult process to choose only a few among them. Of course there were many, many excellent candidates that we could not offer scholarships to.

The criteria for choosing recipients was focussed on having a pool of recipients that would make excellent patient advocates both at the conference itself, and afterwards. This was indicated by the quality of the submission (writing, voice, etc.); the level of understanding of digital health; the amount of reach the applicant would have to influence others; and the level of commitment to being a patient advocate. "

[A Former User]

I was a judge a few years ago, and they did a great job of putting them all on a spreadsheet along with the answers. They rules out people who might have a commercial interest.

I suggested a different type of scoring because in judging it can depend on 'where' the judge is coming from. So with a group where each judge is scoring their own selection of names I wondered about how consistent the judging could be. At eHealth a group scored all of them so that the scores evened out in the end and that seemed more fair to me.

Maybe we (PAN) should keep track of the number of applications for the ones we can find out about. 140 applications is quite a few. And we know the number for CMA (I forget). There were 40 judged for eHealth last year, and that is a lower interest level. I hear that there were 1200 applications for the Minister of Health's PFAC in Ontario.

To me this is an indication of how many interested patients there are out there, who are ready to get involved.

ANnette