Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO) works together with the clinical trials community, the public, and partners to improve Ontario’s clinical trials environment.
As part of this work, patient and public engagement is one of CTO’s three strategic pillars. We believe engaging patients and the public is critical to improving clinical trials in Ontario, resulting in better clinical trials, better experiences for trial participants, better physician-researcher experiences, and, in the long run, a better health care system.
To support this, CTO created the College of Lived Experience in 2020. The College includes people from across Ontario with different backgrounds who are interested in clinical trials and was established to ensure that CTO’s activities are informed and improved by the perspectives and advice of patients and the public.
Since its creation, the College has contributed to a number of projects and helped create resources such as Learn More about Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials Finder, Clinical Trials Glossary, and Participant Experience Toolkit to name a few, and has contributed to a number of other projects.
Seeking new members
CTO is looking for new members to join the College.
You don’t need to know about clinical trials or to have participated in a clinical trial to be involved—as long as you are interested in clinical trials and live in Ontario, there may be a role for you.
While many current College members live with a health condition or are caregivers, this is not a requirement.
We are looking for diverse people with different experiences and perspectives. This includes individuals who may live in rural or urban areas, be of different ages, and may include racialized individuals (e.g., African, Caribbean, and Black); Indigenous Peoples; persons with disabilities; women and individuals from 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
People may also have different experiences related to clinical trials and research—whether an interest in clinical trials, participation in a trial, or experience as a research partner.
What participation involves
To be part of the College, we ask that you:
- Attend virtual meetings about once every 1–2 months (with some opportunities for in-person meetings)
- Join meetings and projects you’re interested in—participation is flexible
- Participate openly and constructively in discussions, providing feedback and raising issues
- Take part in learning about the research process and clinical trials
- Contribute to a collaborative environment focused on clinical trials projects
- Support the mandate of Clinical Trials Ontario
- Provide constructive feedback and criticism
- Draw on your experiences, knowledge, and networks
- Keep details confidential when required
Support and Honorarium
You will be offered an honorarium for your contributions to the College (if you wish to accept it) and will have your expenses covered to attend any in-person College meetings. We will do our best to provide supports that people need so they can participate in the College in the ways that work for them.
How to apply
If you are interested, please fill out and submit this online form with some information about yourself. Please only share what you are comfortable sharing. There is no pressure to share anything you do not wish to.
If filling out this form is not an option for you, please contact Dawn Richards, CTO’s Director of Patient and Public Engagement, by email (dawn.richards@ctontario.ca) so she can work with you to find the best way to get this information from you.
If you are interested, please provide your brief expression of interest by June 1, 2026. Thank you in advance for your interest in participating. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Dawn (dawn.richards@ctontario.ca).
Next Steps
We may reach out to you to have a short conversation with you and to learn more about your interest in being part of the College. These calls will take place in June.
We may not be able to invite everyone who expresses interest to be part of the College, however you will receive a communication about whether or not you are invited to join.
Stay connected
Thank you for your interest in this opportunity. We invite you to also sign up for CTO’s mailing list below).