The Bridge: Your Health Your Voice

The Heartbeat of the PATIENTS Program: The Ten-Step Framework

How do we engage patients, community partners, clinicians, policy makers, researchers, and government agencies?\ In this episode of The Bridge, we dive into the PATIENTS Program’s 10-Step Framework for Continuous Engagement — a model designed to ensure patients, caregivers, and community members have a meaningful voice in health care research. PATIENTS Programs Executive Director Daniel Mullins and Director of Methodological Research and Evaluation Hillary Edwards discuss how the framework guides projects from planning and trust-building to data collection,interpretation, dissemination, and reflection, all while centering lived experience at every stage. The conversation explores why community-engaged research creates stronger, more impactful outcomes and how the framework has evolved into a flexible, continuous cycle of partnership and collaboration. Tune in to hear how meaningful engagement is reshaping the future of research and strengthening the connection between communities and health care innovation. Spotify currently does not support transcript uploads for this podcast; to view an ADA‑compliant version of this episode and access the full transcript, please visit our YouTube channel viathe link in the description. https://youtu.be/xwXSkireQZ4 Visithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-patients-program to stay updated onboth past and upcoming episodes. To watch this episode and more, visit ourYouTube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_] Subscribe to ourYouTube Channel https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel [https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel] https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram [https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram]

CO-POD: Bridging Chronic Pain and Patient Centered Research

In this episode of The Bridge, the conversation highlights the CO POD project, a PCORI funded initiative designed to make patient-centered research more accessible and meaningful for everyday people. Focused on individuals living with chronic pain, CO POD connects patients, caregivers, and community members with research in a way that’s practical, easy to understand, and actionable. The episode features advisory board members Trevor and Seantae Jackson, who share their connection to the project through their family’s lived experience with chronic pain following a devastating car accident. Their perspective brings a deeply personal lens to the importance of accessible research and patient partnership. By translating complex findings into real world insights, CO POD empowers individuals to better manage their pain while engaging them as active partners in shaping future research. This Bridge podcast episode was funded through the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute(PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award (EADI-45018). The views, statements, and opinionspresented in this podcast episode are solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®), its Board. Visithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-patients-program to stay updated on both past and upcoming episodes. To watch this episode and more, visit ourYouTube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_] Subscribe to our YouTube Channel https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel [https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel] https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram [https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram] Spotify currently does not support transcript uploads for this podcast; to view an ADA‑compliant version of this episode and access the full transcript, please visit our YouTube channel via the link in the description. https://youtu.be/0Z0RlBNiWb0

The Vision and Impact of the PATIENTS Professors Academy

We’re excited to celebrate Year Five of the PATIENTS Professors Academy! In this episode of The Bridge, host ParisBarnes sits down with Joe Howarth, Lead Training Specialist and architect of the PATIENTS Professors Academy, to discuss the evolution of the program and the impact it continues to make. The conversation also features Melinda Aldridge, a PATIENTS Professors Academy Class of 2025 graduate and incoming 2026 Seminar Leader. Melissa shares how PPA has shaped her journey in health research and prepared her to step into leadership and partnershiproles within patient‑centered research. ·  Learn more about the PATIENTS Professors Academy by visiting: https://www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu/programs/the-patients-program/patients-academy/ ·  Connect with Melissa Aldridge on LinkedIn to learn more about her work and journey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melinda-aldridge-126019b/ Spotify currently does not support transcript uploads for this podcast; to view an ADA‑compliant version of this episode and access the full transcript, please visit our YouTube channel via the link in the description. https://youtu.be/4PEaZv8zxQI   Visithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-patients-program to stay updated onboth past and upcoming episodes. To watch this episode and more, visit our YouTube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_] Subscribe to our YouTube Channel https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel [https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel] https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram [https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram]

Building Learning Spaces Where Students Thrive

In this episode of The Bridge, host Paris Barnes is joined by John Medeiros, his mother, and advocate Michelle Medeiros, and Steve Buettner of the Baltimore Lab School for a powerfulconversation about inclusive excellence, disability justice, and belonging in education. This episode is a moving reminder that inclusive excellence is not one‑size‑fits‑all, and that when students are truly seen, supported, and respected, they thrive. Visithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-patients-program to stay updated on both past and upcoming episodes. To watch this episode and more, visit ourYouTube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_] Subscribe to ourYouTube Channel https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel [https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel] https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram [https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram] Spotify currently does not support transcript uploads for this podcast; to view an ADA‑compliant version of this episode and access the full transcript, please visit our YouTube channel via the link in the description. https://youtu.be/81_fZMwESnU

From Survival to Advocacy

In this episode of The Bridge, host Paris Barnestalks with patient advocate Jeff Wells about resilience, recovery, and the power of lived experience. After surviving a life‑altering stroke, Jeff found purpose in advocacy—using his voice to improve accessibility, health literacy, and inclusion in research and care. From influencing NIH consent practices tocreating meaningful moments for patients through simple accommodations, Jeff reminds us that advocacy isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being better. Spotify currently does not support transcript uploads for ths podcast; to view an ADA‑compliant version of this episode and access the full transcript, please visit our YouTube channel via the link in thedescription. https://youtu.be/SKNbcnz0sLY [https://youtu.be/SKNbcnz0sLY]   Visithttps://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-patients-program to stay updated on both past and upcoming episodes. To watch this episode and more, visit ourYouTube channel ⁠https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLf5TFMW2PWhKdIEaP2F9xN213vrkTrv9_] Subscribe to our YouTube Channel https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel [https://bit.ly/SubscribetoourYouTubeChannel] https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram [https://linktr.ee/thepatientsprogram]