'Involving consumers in research provides insights that can help plot the path towards a cure. Tailoring their role to fit specific projects helps research remain relevant and focused on achieving the best outcomes.'
Merryn Carter, health consumer advocate, talks about why it's important to have your say in the review of the Statement on Consumer and Community Involvement in Health and Medical Research (the Statement).
NHMRC and the Consumers Health Forum of Australia (CHF) are reviewing the Statement – have your say and get involved today.
For more information about WEHI’s Consumer Program, visit the webpage Consumers and research.
- Video transcript
[An image appears of a medium and then a close view of Merryn Carter talking to the camera, with the NHMRC logo beside text at the bottom of the screen: Merryn Carter, Health Consumer Advocate WEHI]
Merryn Carter: One in seven women and one in 550 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
[Image changes to show a split screen of a computer screen above a female assisting a female with a mammogram, and then the image changes to show nurses pushing a patient’s bed]
On average, nine Australians lose their lives to breast cancer every day.
[Music plays as the image changes to show a blue screen with the NHMRC logo]
[Images move through to show Merryn talking to the camera, a female beside a mammogram machine, a male doctor talking to a female patient, and then the female’s face]
While a cure hasn't yet been found, early detection and treatment can be the difference between death and survival.
[Images move through to show a male being scanned, a female using the machine, a repeat pipette, a female beside the mammogram machine, a female, repeat pipettes, and researchers at work]
I'm very fortunate that the drug Trastuzumab was invented before my breast cancer diagnosis.
[Images move through to show a male looking at a multi well plate, a close view of the plate, and then views of Merryn talking to the camera]
It was invented to target the particular type of breast cancer that I had and that's largely why I'm still here today, 15 years later.
[Music plays as images flash through to show views of lights, lab equipment in use, a male looking at lab results, a lab shelf of bottles and boxes, and then views of researchers working]
[Images move through to show a female talking, hands using a micropipette, Merryn talking to the camera, a female preparing for a scan, and then a doctor talking to a nurse]
I volunteer with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute Breast Cancer Lab, working with the professors there, providing the consumer perspective.
[Images move through to show hands using a pipette in a tube, a female’s eyes looking down a microscope, a close view of microscope lenses, and then views of AI technology at work in a lab]
Involving consumers in research provides insights that can help plot the path towards a cure.
[Images move through to show a split screen of aerial views of researchers working in a lab, and a male using a laptop, and then views of Merryn talking to the camera]
Tailoring their role to fit specific projects helps research remain relevant and focused on achieving the best outcomes.
[Music plays as images move through to show gloved fingers holding a sample tube, test tubes, and then a multi well plate]
[Images move through to show a computer screen of a mammogram, Merryn talking to the camera, views of colleagues talking together, the female’s face, a multi cell plate, and a male having a scan]
The NHMRC CHF Consumer Statement has been designed to describe the roles of researchers and consumers.
[Images move through to show views of Merryn talking to the camera, a split screen of a female using a laptop above a female talking, and then a male talking]
It's really important that consumers around Australia have their say about how the statement is developed and finalised.
[Music plays as images move through to show fingers typing on a keyboard, a male talking, and then a female talking]
[Image changes to show an animation of various people spread out across the screen, then they assemble at the bottom of the screen]
Research can't happen without consumers and communities.
[Animation image shows blue circles rising from the assembled crowed and morphing into three stacked speech text boxes]
Have your say and get involved.
[Animation image shows a checklist clipboard appearing and the speech boxes merge onto the clipboard]
Visit our website to find out how you can participate in forums, and you can also fill in our survey.
[Music plays as the image changes to show the NHMRC logo on a blue screen]
End of transcript.
