Research Readiness Program

Every patient organization has valuable knowledge about the experiences of the people it serves. The challenge is turning those experiences into credible evidence that can influence policy, improve care, and drive meaningful change. Whether your organization is new to research or already collecting data, GlobalSkin’s Research Readiness Program will help you build confidence, knowledge, and provide you with tools to transform patient experience into evidence for change.

This concept has been at the heart of GlobalSkin since its founding and ultimately led to the development of the Patient-Reported Impact of Dermatological Diseases (PRIDD) measure—a validated means of capturing and reporting the true impact of living with skin diseases. GlobalSkin’s Research Readiness Program represents the next step in this journey, equipping Members with key research concepts including using the PRIDD measure, and supporting them in applying research to advance their advocacy and organizational goals. 

The Research Readiness Program includes a four-part webinar series designed to build a strong foundation in patient-led research, followed by a Research Readiness Grant Program that will provide selected organizations with funding, and ongoing support to put their new knowledge into practice and strengthen their long-term research capacity.

The program will enable GlobalSkin Members to:

• Build confidence in understanding and conducting patient-led research.
• Learn how research can strengthen advocacy, credibility, and organizational decision-making.
• Understand the value of patient experience data (PED) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).
• Explore practical methods for planning, conducting, and interpreting research.
• Learn how to translate research findings into compelling advocacy messages and meaningful change.
• Gain practical tools and resources to support future research initiatives. 

GlobalSkin Members…

• with little or no formal research experience.
• looking to strengthen existing research activities.
• who are interested in using evidence to support advocacy, policy, education, and improved care.
• seeking practical guidance on collecting and using patient experience data to create meaningful impact. 

The four-part webinar series takes a practical, non-academic approach and demonstrates how patient experience data and validated patient-reported outcome measures including PRIDD, can be used to generate meaningful evidence that supports advocacy, policy influence, and improved care. 

Throughout the series, participants will develop a practical understanding of patient-led research, build the confidence to design and undertake research projects, and benefit from expert guidance delivered by experienced researchers. Attendees will connect with peers undertaking similar work and become eligible to apply for the Research Readiness Grants.

The schedule for the webinars is as follows:

Register Here For Webinar #1

Research without Reservation: Research Basics & the Role of Patient Experience Data (PED)

(September 15, 2026 | 9:00 to 10:00 AM ET)

Research without Reservation is the first webinar in GlobalSkin’s Research Readiness series, designed for patient advocates, patients and patient organizations with little or no formal research background. This introductory session will demystify research and patient experience data, showing how lived experience can be collected in simple, realistic and responsible ways to better understand community needs. Participants will learn why patient-generated evidence matters, how it can strengthen advocacy and decision-making, and how organizations of different sizes can take their first steps without needing large budgets or in-house research teams.

Register Here Now

How to Generate Evidence
(Part 1: Foundations)

(November 24, 2026 | 3:00–4:00 PM CEST) 

Move from theory to action by learning how to define research objectives, develop meaningful research questions, and select appropriate research methods such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, desk research, and mixed methods. The session also introduces practical tools and frameworks for capturing community experiences, and ways to plan inclusive, ethical and feasible research projects.

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How to Generate Evidence
(Part 2: From Data to Action)

(January 21, 2027 | 3:00–4:00 PM CEST)  

Discover the difference between qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, and understand the principles of good data quality. Also explore basic data interpretation, see how validated measures such as PRIDD can strengthen evidence, and discover how registries can incorporate patient-reported and impact data.

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Turning Data findings into Stories, Advocacy & Change.

(April 1, 2027 | 3:00–4:00 PM CEST)  

Understand how to use research findings to strengthen advocacy, influence policy, and improve patient outcomes. Build the skills to communicate evidence effectively to key audiences while identifying the most effective opportunities and channels to maximize impact. Gain practical insights through proven strategies and real-world examples that will help you confidently integrate patient-generated evidence into ongoing advocacy efforts and evaluate the impact of your work.

Registration Opening Soon

The webinars will be led by Nirohshah Trialonis-Suthakharan. She holds a BSc in European Public Health and an MSc in Global Health, with over nine years of experience in quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, field studies, and the development and validation of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in close collaboration with patients. Her work focuses on patient experience data (PED) and patient-centred research. She played a key role in GlobalSkin’s GRIDD project, collaborating with dermatology patient organisations to generate meaningful and impactful data. At Patvocates, she supports strategic projects that strengthen and elevate the patient voice in research and advocacy.

The Research Readiness Webinar Series is the first step in GlobalSkin's new Research Readiness Program—a capacity-building initiative designed to help patient organizations confidently use research to strengthen advocacy, influence decision-makers, and improve care.

As the next phase of the program, GlobalSkin will launch the Research Readiness Grant Program, helping patient organizations put learning into action through patient-led research.

Participation in the Research Readiness webinars will make your organization eligible for GlobalSkin's new Research Readiness Grant Program.

As part of this initiative, GlobalSkin will award two grants. Each award will be up to CAD $10,000 and will support your organization’s patient-led research projects that use PRIDD.

This program will be available to all patient organizations regardless of where you are in your research knowledge journey.

Successful applicants will receive funding, and potentially be offered access to research tools, resources, and implementation supports, depending on the needs of your project. Additional details about the grant opportunities, timelines, and application process will be announced in the coming months.

For any questions, please reach out to Allison Fitzgerald (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).