In this first episode of a two-part series on pozcast, host James Watson sits down to talk with Tim Wesseling and Lynne, two well-respected peer researchers, about their inspiration, employment realities, and using identity and their lived experiences as commodities in community-based work.

Tim is a Peer Research Associate (PRA) at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS with over 29 years of experience living with HIV. Lynne lives in Ottawa and has been a PRA for over 10 years, predominately working on studies that look at the impact of the social determinants of health on people living with HIV. She is currently part of the Ontario team that is working on the HIV Stigma Index with REACH Nexus at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. 

In addition to our episode guests, we also hear from several PRAs across Canada about their experiences in research and how they see these participatory, community-based processes evolving over time.

In this frank and revealing conversation, we take a closer look at how the principles of GIPA and MEPA are holding up in research settings and learn how our guests apply their “peerness” to strengthen the approach to research and its outcomes. 

This episode has a little bit for everyone, so check it out and stay tuned for next month’s episode as we continue this conversation with two Principal Investigators who are leading innovative community-based research projects in two different regions of Canada.

Full episode details

Visit the episode page on The Positive Effect website for full episode details and to learn more about guests Mark, Logan and Charlie. Click here for the full audio transcript.

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