ISMPP Patient Engagement Task Force

ISMPP’s Patient Engagement Task Force (PETF) has defined strategic objectives to guide meaningful collaboration between our professional community and patients.

The strategic objectives were informed by a survey of the ISMPP members and a workshop with the PETF members. Insights from these initiatives were presented at the ISMPP 2025 Annual Meeting. The Patient Engagement Enabler poster was also presented at the ISMPP 2026 European Meeting, coinciding with the release of the Patient Engagement Enabler Resource (PEER) document.

• ISMPP member survey on patient engagement in medical publications
  
  
• Patient engagement enabler poster - 2026 ISMPP European Meeting
  
  

The PETF strategic objectives have shaped the resources below, designed to help you integrate the patient voice in publications.

• ISMPP PETF strategy summary slide deck

What is ISMPP's commitment to partnering with patients?

ISMPP recognizes the importance of genuine partnerships with patients—not just participation. Read about ISMPP's journey in embracing and advancing patient engagement within medical publications and learn our guiding principles for ethical, transparent, and meaningful engagement with patient partners, and patient membership opportunities.

• Patients as Partners in Medical Publications: The ISMPP Journey of Engagement by Stones et al. was published on September 9, 2025 in Current Medical Research and Opinion (CMRO).¹

• Patient membership in ISMPP

¹ Stones, S. R., Lobban, D., Skobe, C., Gokool, N., Bharadia, T., Geraci, A., & Matheis, R. J. (2025). Patients as partners in medical publications: the ISMPP journey of engagement. Curr Med Res Opin. https://doi.org/10.1080/03007995.2025.2556317.

What language should I use for patient engagement activities?

Effective patient engagement begins with clear communication. Use this curated lexicon, developed by the ISMPP PETF, to navigate the language of plain, respectful, and inclusive communication with patients, caregivers, and members of the public.

• Patient engagement lexicon

What resources are available to facilitate patient engagement?

Lots of great resources already exist to facilitate patient engagement in publications. Explore our roadmap of patient engagement assets designed to guide you through practical implementation of patient engagement, from planning to dissemination of data. Our accessibility resources outline actions you can take to improve digital content for diverse readers and assistive devices. From templates to case studies, these tools can help to support your goals every step of the way.

• Patient engagement resources
• Roadmap summarizing key steps/resources for patient engagement - coming soon!
• Resource on How to Make Accessible Slides, Posters, Figures, and Emails - ISMPP member benefit
• ISMPP Insider blog post, Accessibility Matters: Easy Steps to Making Healthcare Information Accessible 

In addition to these resources developed by ISMPP volunteers, ISMPP is proud to support the use of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center's Clinical Research Glossary, a patient-centered, consensus-driven resource designed to make clinical research terminology understandable, accessible, and actionable for all audiences. Read about ISMPP's support for the MRCT Clinical Research Glossary in ISMPP Insider. 

How do I overcome key barriers and challenges to patient engagement?

Patient engagement is a journey with real-world challenges. Our enabler document offers guidance on identifying, understanding, and addressing key barriers, so you can foster more effective patient partnerships.

• UPDATED! Patient Engagement Enabler Resource (PEER)

How do I measure the impact of patient engagement?

Explore our repository of approaches and tools that will help you evaluate the impact and effectiveness of patient engagement initiatives.

• Impact metric tools

Where can I find key publications and resources on patient engagement?

Access our curated hub of key publications, webinars, newsletters, and thought leadership on patient engagement. Stay informed with perspectives from ISMPP and beyond.

In Plain Cite podcasts (previously named "InformED" podcasts, 2020-2024):

• The Power of Plain Talk
• Delivering Patient Centric Publications
  
• Patients as a Key Stakeholder for Scientific Conferences
• Putting Patients First: A Journey to Inclusion in Publishing
• Plain Language Summaries: Best Practice

 ISMPP U webinars:

• Integrating Patient Perspectives in Publications Planning: The What, How and Why
• Can Health Literacy Best Practices in Publications Fuel Innovation in Patient-friendly Electronic Package Information (ePI)?
• Patients in Focus: Redefining Scientific Conference Dynamics
• Engaging the Patient in APAC
• Plain Language Summaries (PLS) of Publications: Focus on Practical Application

 The MAP newsletter:

• Amplifying Science: A Guide to Developing Impactful Podcasts
• Accessibility Matters: Easy Steps to Making Healthcare Information Accessible
• A Company’s Approach to Developing Publication Plain Language Summaries
• Pressure in a Pandemic: Lessons for Communicating Scientific Research
• Rhetoric, Plain Language, and Effective Communication: An Insightful Dialogue
• Patient Authorship: Three Key Questions (& Answers!) for Medical Communication Professionals [Part A]
• Patient Authorship: Three Key Questions (& Answers!) for Medical Communication Professionals [Part B]
• What Is Health Literacy in Clinical Research Communications, and Why Is It Important?
• We Need to Talk about PLS…Exploring the Opportunities of Plain-Language Summaries

Who has been involved with developing ISMPP’s patient engagement strategy and tools?

Meet the dedicated members of the PETF who have shaped the future of ISMPP’s patient engagement efforts.

Adeline Rosenberg (Oxford PharmaGenesis & Patient Advocate), Alice Concepcion (AstraZeneca), Bradley Meehan (OPEN Health), David McNeel (Lovance), Dawn Lobban (Co-Chair, Amica Scientific), Emma Phillips (Costello Medical), Geraldine Drevon (GSK), Jennifer Regala (Wolters Kluwer Health), Juliet Bell (Omnicom Health Medical Communications), Junjun Liu (Eli Lilly), Laura Dormer (Becaris Publishing), Leslie Moody (Puma Biotechnology), Maria McGill (The Lockwood Group), Mohammed Najeeb Ashraf (SciVoc Consulting), Nichola Gokool (Co-Chair, Parexel), Pragati Sharma (Genentech), Sashi Nadanaciva (Daiichi Sankyo), Shweta Pitre (SIRO Clinpharm), Shweta Rane (Bridge Bio Phama), Simon Stones (Amica Scientific & Patient Advocate), Susan Scott (Scott Pharma Solutions & Patient Advocate), Swapna Ganduri (CACTUS Life Sciences), Trishna Bharadia (The Spark Global & Patient Advocate), Yosef Mansour (AstraZeneca)

ISMPP is proud to support the use of the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials (MRCT) Center's Clinical Research Glossary, shared as a resource for the ISMPP community with permission of MRCT.

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