Annette McKinnon has been an active patient partner and collaborator in the areas of health research, quality improvement, system change and patient inclusion for the past 12 years. Her experiences with health care as a patient and a partner, convinced her that it takes the collaboration of all segments in health, including the patient voice, for robust solutions.
A desire to work with and learn from other patient and caregiver partners, led to the formation of Patient Advisors Network (PAN) in 2016. A group of us realized the need for specialized support, advice and communication and she is one of the co-founders and current Board member.
She is a patient partner in research and a grant reviewer for CIHR, the Arthritis Society, the CMAJ, and the Ontario SPOR Support Unit.
She was a Council Member (Public) of the College of Occupational Therapists Ontario and is currently a member of the OSSU Patient Partnership Advisory Council, and The Interprofessional Education (IPE) Advisor Committee.
Experiences as a Board Member with the Sjogren’s Society of Canada, Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA), Arthritis Patient Advisory Board of Arthritis Research Canada (ARC) have also been formative.