Dartmouth · Geisel · Thayer · Tuck

Where patients
shape the research

The Patient Innovation Lab partners with patients as equal leaders, not participants, in research, innovation, and implementation. We focus on populations too often overlooked by traditional healthcare and technology systems: individuals who are the most vulnerable, hardest to reach, and hardest to engage. Using the science of engagement, participatory human-centered design, and implementation science, we co-create scalable, real-world solutions that align with how people actually live, receive care, and make decisions.

1,500
Patient partners in our network
150
Community-based organizations for real-world implementation and study deployment
6
Federal grants received
130+
Peer-reviewed publications co-created with patient partners

How this Works

An integrated system for
health innovation

The lab operates across four interconnected areas — from the first patient idea all the way through to policy change.

Patient-Led Innovation

The lab works with more than 1,500 trained patient partners who collaborate on research, technology development, and policy initiatives.

Digital Health Development

We create and rigorously test digital tools that support chronic disease self-management — co-created with the communities who will use them to ensure they are accessible, effective, and trustworthy.

Clinical Implementation

Our tools are evaluated in real-world settings — clinics, community programs, and patient homes. We study not just whether they work, but how they fit into the fabric of everyday healthcare delivery.

Policy & Systems Impact

Findings from our research directly inform workforce development and health policy. We translate evidence into actionable recommendations that drive systemic, lasting change beyond individual interventions.

Innovation Pipeline

From patient insight
to real-world impact

Every solution we build follows a clear path — rooted in lived experience and designed to scale.

Step 01
Patient Ideas
Patients and caregivers surface real problems, unmet needs, and ideas from lived experience.
›
Step 02
Co-Create
Patients co-create solutions alongside engineers, clinicians, and researchers from the ground up.
›
Step 03
Prototype & Build
Digital tools are prototyped, iterated, and built with patients at the table — making decisions on every iteration.
›
Step 04
Clinical Evaluation
Tools are rigorously tested in clinics, community programs, and patient homes — with patients shaping how impact is measured.
›
Step 05
Policy & Scale
Patients sit alongside policymakers as evidence shapes health policy, workforce development, and system-wide implementation at scale.

Patient Pitch Program

Submit your idea

Share an idea, a gap you've noticed, or a question no one has answered. We'll help you find the right people, resources, or team to explore it together.

Work With Us

Partnering across health & technology

We collaborate with patient organizations and patients to build digital health solutions.

What can you submit?

You don't need a fully formed idea, a problem is enough. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, doula, clinician, or community member, if something in health or healthcare feels broken or unexplored, we want to hear from you.

Example pitch topics

Postpartum mental health screening gaps Wearable accuracy for pregnant bodies Doula access in rural communities Language barriers in prenatal care Mental health app usability Care coordination after discharge

Don't see your topic? That's exactly the kind of gap we're looking for.

What happens after you submit?

1
Submit
Your pitch is reviewed by our team
2
Get matched
We connect you with relevant people or projects
3
Connect
One-on-one call, working group, or accelerator track

Submit Your Research Idea

Takes about 10 minutes. We'll follow up within two weeks.

Click to upload or drag and drop

(Attachments are not supported with email-submission; please include links)

Patient Partner Repository

Find a research project
you can help shape

Browse active and upcoming studies where community members have a real role.

These are partnership roles, not participant slots. You'll have meaningful input on how research is designed and conducted.

NeurologyRural

RealVision

Identifying early markers of Alzheimer's disease through digital behavioral signals — enabling earlier intervention before clinical symptoms emerge.

Role: Patient advisor
Mental healthRural

PeerTECH

Supporting peer specialists and individuals living with serious mental illness through digital self-management tools co-created with the community.

Role: Co-investigator
Scientist-ledAging & longevityRemote

SOAR

Providing remote support to help older adults maintain independence at home — connecting them with tools and resources tailored to their needs.

Role: Community advisor

Patient Engagement Strategy Engine

Find the engagement model
that fits your community

We co-created the first tool to operationalize the science of engagement by translating decades of research into structured, decision-making properties (e.g., level of engagement, power-sharing, population fit, and feasibility). Rather than offering generic guidance, the tool provides tailored, evidence-informed recommendations aligned with the needs of specific populations and real-world contexts.

How it works

Tell us about the population you're working with and what you're trying to accomplish. Our AI synthesizes evidence from the literature to recommend the engagement model most likely to succeed.

1

Select your population and setting

Choose the community type and research context from our pre-defined categories.

2

Choose your engagement priorities

Tell us what matters most — trust-building, recruitment, cultural alignment, and more.

3

Get your recommendation

Receive a tailored model with an evidence summary, rationale, and links to the source literature.

View the full evidence matrix →
AI-Supported Evidence Synthesis

Patient Engagement Strategy Engine

Use this interactive tool to explore evidence-based engagement models tailored to your population, context, and partnership priorities.

Trust-building Recruitment / retention Cultural alignment Shared decision-making Implementation readiness Sustainability
Recommended model

Collaboration

  • High trust outcome (+0.42 effect size)
  • Strong results among rural & BIPOC settings
  • Moderate–high quality evidence base

Training Resources

Learn to do this work well

Patient partnership is a skill — for researchers and community members alike. Access curated resources through the Partnership Academy and beyond.

Why training matters

What is community-based participatory research?

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) involves community members as genuine partners in every phase of the research process — from identifying the question to disseminating results. Done well, it produces more relevant findings and more equitable outcomes. Training helps everyone understand their role and rights.

Whether you're a researcher learning how to meaningfully engage communities, or a community member who wants to know what to expect as a partner, the Partnership Academy has resources for you.

Partnership Academy is a scalable, experiential community-based participant research training offered over the course of 4 hours in groups of patients, researchers, industry, partners, and caregivers to identify research questions together, select meaningful outcomes and comparisons, and identify possible solutions together. Partnership Academies have been employed in academic health systems, colleges and universities, and within industry.

Innovation Accelerator

From patient insight
to working prototype

A structured program that brings together patients, researchers, and industry partners to rapidly develop and test healthcare innovations grounded in lived experience.

How the accelerator works

Selected teams receive mentorship, resources, and structured time to move from problem to prototype — with industry partners and potential stipend support along the way.

Pitch

Submit your idea through the Patient Pitch Program. Selected ideas advance to review.

Review

Our team evaluates pitches for feasibility, impact, and alignment with community needs.

Cohort

Selected teams join a cohort with access to mentors, design resources, and industry connections.

Demo

Teams present prototypes to stakeholders, funders, and the broader Patient Innovation Lab community.

First cohort

Applications opening soon

We're finalizing partnerships with the Magnuson Center and other collaborators. Sign up to be notified when applications open for our inaugural cohort.

Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Instrument

Is the partnership actually working?

As a validated measure of patient and community engagement quality, QPCOR helps distinguish meaningful partnerships from performative involvement. High scores on the QPCOR predict trust and patient retention at 6-months.

Why Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnership Instrument?

Incorporating engagement approaches into patient-centered outcomes research/community-engaged research (PCOR/CEnR) in scientific studies produces more relevant research, increased uptake of research findings, and better clinical outcomes compared to traditional research. While research studies that engage participants produce more relevant outcomes, engagement can often leave patient partners feeling overburdened and disenfranchised. These effects can be compounded in historically underrepresented and/or disadvantaged populations but can be difficult to track or quantify. An accountability tool called the QPCOR was created to monitor equitable research partnerships. QPCOR is designed for anyone to complete it, as it does not require a postgraduate degree or even a high-school diploma to be able to read, understand, and confidently answer the survey questions.

Download PDF
A note on IRB: QPCOR data collection at the organizational level is exempt from IRB oversight because it measures program workflow, not individual health data. We are reviewing this with our IRB team to confirm the appropriate pathway.
Is this about my personal health data? +
No. QPCOR measures the quality of the partnership process, not individual health information. It tracks organizational outcomes — who is involved, how decisions are made, and whether engagement leads to improved results.
Who fills out the QPCOR? +
Both researchers and community partners complete the measure, which allows us to identify gaps between how researchers perceive engagement and how community members experience it.
How is this different from a satisfaction survey? +
QPCOR is a validated instrument grounded in the engagement literature. It measures specific dimensions of partnership quality — power sharing, communication, co-learning — not just whether people felt good about the experience.

Measuring holds individuals accountable to the engagement process and creates opportunities to improve engagement in real time, rather than only evaluating it at the end of a study

Why measurement matters

The Science of the Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnership Instrument

The development of the Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnerships Instrument included an iterative co-creation process with psychiatric patient stakeholders and scientists, including item formulation, followed by two phases of cognitive interviews with psychiatric patient stakeholders to assess and refine instrument items. A pilot study was conducted to assess acceptability and feasibility. The pilot study of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnerships Instrument suggested feasibility and acceptability among psychiatric patient stakeholders. The Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnerships Instrument may be a valuable tool to enhance the quality of community engagement research practices. We are currently testing the psychometric properties of the QPCOR.

Quality of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Partnerships Instrument (QPCOR)

Instructions: Consider your Patient-Centered Outcomes Research partnerships to date in one specific project and respond to each of the following questions on a scale from 0 = “No effort was made by researchers” to 10 = “Every effort was made by researchers”. You do not need to place your name on the instrument. Of note, implement this instrument at multiple time points throughout your study, including the beginning of PCOR and at one-month or three-month intervals depending on the length of the PCOR.

Write in a Score 0-10

  1. I had a clear understanding of the purpose of the study_____
  2. I felt listened to_____
  3. I feel prepared to be an equal partner in the research study._____
  4. Researchers were knowledgeable about people like me or were willing to learn about people like me._____
  5. I believe that I had choices in how I could be a part of the research study._____
  6. I felt accepted by all members of the research study team._____
  7. Researchers used language that was consistent with my values and culture_____
  8. Both community members and researchers are thinking of ways we can continue to work together in the future._____
  9. I felt comfortable engaging with the members of the research study team._____
  10. I felt my views were incorporated into the research study._____

Scoring: Items with a score of 60 or lower should be addressed by PCOR teams.

Citation: Fortuna, KL, Myers, A., Brooks, J, Collins-Pisano, C, Marceau, S, Pratt, S, Lyons, K, Walker, R, Thompson, S, Greene, K, Pringle, W, & Carter, K. (2021). Co-production of the quality of patient-centered outcomes research partnerships instrument for people with mental health conditions. Patient Experience, 8(1), 148-156. doi: 10.35680/2372-0247.1533

Instrument

Instrument

High scores on the QPCOR predict trust and patient retention at 6-months

QPCOR Pre-Print

Your browser does not support PDFs. Download the QPCOR PDF.

REDCap Request Portal

REDCap Request Portal

Request a QPCOR instrument in REDCap XML format for your study

Request Form

Please provide the following details to generate the REDCap instrument.

Services

From idea to real-world impact

Five ways we partner with patients, clinicians, organizations, and policymakers to move innovation forward.

Engage

Build an advisory board or a co-creation team for your work.

Training

Learn the latest on the science of engagement and receive an experiential training in community-based participatory research with patients at your side.

Design

Build solutions with the people they are meant to serve.

Test

Validate in real-world settings.

Scale

Implement sustainably across systems.

Grants

Assistance to faculty, students, and staff in methodical application of the science of engagement to integrate into grant applications.

Interested in partnering?

We work with patients, health systems, community organizations, industry partners, and policymakers to move innovation from concept to real-world impact.

Our Team

The people behind the mission

A multidisciplinary team of clinicians, computer scientists, engineers, designers, and patient advocates working together to transform how research is done.

Follow Us On LinkedIn

Our Mission

The Patient Innovation Lab partners with patients as equal leaders, not participants, in research, innovation, and implementation. We focus on populations too often overlooked by traditional healthcare and technology systems: individuals who are the most vulnerable, hardest to reach, and hardest to engage. Using the science of engagement, participatory human-centered design, and implementation science, we co-create scalable, real-world solutions that align with how people actually live, receive care, and make decisions.

Through a national network of community-based partners, health systems, and patient leaders, we have built a scalable infrastructure for real-world testing, implementation, and deployment of healthcare innovation. This allows us to rapidly evaluate and refine technologies in real-world settings – not controlled laboratory environments – ensuring solutions are practical, trusted, and positioned for adoption at scale.

As healthcare increasingly shifts toward AI-enabled and patient-centered models of care, the Patient Innovation Lab serves as a bridge between advanced technology and real-world implementation, helping ensure innovation reaches the people and communities who need it most.

Director

Karen Fortuna

Karen Fortuna

Director, Patient Innovation Lab
karen.l.fortuna@dartmouth.edu

Associate Professor at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and licensed clinical social worker. Pioneer of the field of "digital peer support," with 130+ peer-reviewed publications and 30+ funded research projects from PCORI, NIMH, and others. Former Chair of PCORI's Patient Engagement National Advisory Council; member of the National Academies of Sciences standing committee on Primary Care and Whole Health.

Faculty

Liz Murnane

Elizabeth Murnane

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor at Dartmouth specializing in human–computer interaction, digital health, and social computing.

Jemar Bather

Jemar Bather

Visiting Assistant Professor

Department of Biostatistics, NYU School of Global Public Health.

Lindsey Leininger

Lindsey Leininger

Clinical Professor of Business Administration

Faculty Director, Center for Health Care, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College.

Elisabeth Callen

Elisabeth Callen

PhD, PStat

Chief AI Officer, Violet Studios Technologies, Inc.

Megan Stabler

Meagan Stabler

PhD, CHES

Assistant Professor, Community and Family Medicine. Exec Dir, Northern New England CO-OP Practice & Community Based Research Network

Timothy E. Burdick

Timothy E. Burdick

MD, MBA, MSc

Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine, The Dartmouth Institute

Governance Board

Rebecca Heller

Rebecca Heller

Governance Board Member

LCSW, Assistant Vice President of Critical Care Services, The Bridge.

Harley David Sanders

Harley David Sanders

Governance Board Member

PRSS-MH, PR-SUD

Crispin Noelle Goytia-Vasquez

Crispin Noelle Goytia-Vasquez

Governance Board Member

MsC

Lisa St. George

Lisa St. George

Governance Board Member

MSW, CPRP, CPRSS

Willie Pringle

Willie Pringle

Governance Board Member

CPS

Research Fellows

Emma Ricci-De Lucca

Emma Ricci-De Lucca

Research Fellow

HCI & Engineering PhD Candidate, Dartmouth College

Saanvi Chilakapati

Saanvi Chilakapati

Research Fellow

Public Health PhD Student, Washington University in St. Louis. MPH '25, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Vafa Batool

Vafa Batool

Research Fellow

HCI & Computer Science PhD Candidate, Dartmouth College

Aidan Ferrin

Aidan Ferrin

Research Fellow

MPH '25, Policy Strategist

Vedant Tapiavala

Vedant Tapiavala

Research Fellow

Stamps Scholar & BA Neuroscience '26, Dartmouth College

Jillian Berch

Jillian Berch

Research Fellow

MPH '26, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Taylor Rogers

Taylor Rogers

Research Fellow

MA Child Study & Human Development Candidate '27, Tufts University

Shamika Morales

Shamika Morales

Research Fellow

LCSW, LCAC, C-ASWCM, CCM

Joseph Martinez

Joseph Martinez

Research Fellow

BS '21, Cornell University; MPH Candidate '26, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Adithi Kumaran

Adithi Kumaran

Research Fellow

MPH Candidate, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College; BS Human Biology, Health, and Society, Cornell University

Shahed Khudaier

Shahed Khudaier

Research Fellow

MPH Candidate '26, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College

Industry & Innovation Partnerships

Accelerating AI and Digital Health from Innovation to Real-World Impact

The Patient Innovation Lab at Dartmouth partners with healthcare organizations, technology companies, health systems, payers, pharmaceutical companies, foundations, and startups to accelerate the development, evaluation, and implementation of patient-centered innovations.

Our interdisciplinary team combines expertise in artificial intelligence, digital health, implementation science, patient engagement, behavioral health, healthy aging, and pragmatic clinical research to generate the evidence organizations need to successfully bring innovations into real-world healthcare.

Whether you are developing a new AI-enabled technology, validating a digital health solution, or preparing a product for commercialization and health system adoption, the Patient Innovation Lab serves as your scientific partner from concept through implementation.

Why Organizations Partner With Us

Organizations partner with the Patient Innovation Lab to:

  • Reduce time to clinical evidence
  • Generate independent, publishable real-world evidence
  • Improve patient engagement and technology adoption
  • Evaluate AI-enabled technologies before commercialization
  • Prepare products for successful health system implementation
  • Develop evidence to support payer, employer, and value-based care partnerships
  • Identify implementation challenges before large-scale deployment
  • Strengthen commercialization and adoption strategies
  • Collaborate with patients, caregivers, clinicians, and communities throughout product development

Our Capabilities

Strategic Scientific Advising

Our faculty work alongside organizations to develop evidence-generation strategies that support innovation, implementation, commercialization, and long-term impact.

Services include:

  • AI strategy and evaluation
  • Clinical evidence roadmaps
  • Product development consultation
  • Scientific advisory services
  • Grant development and research partnerships

Real-World Evidence Generation

We design and conduct rigorous evaluations in clinical and community settings to understand how technologies perform under real-world conditions.

Our expertise includes:

  • Pragmatic clinical studies
  • Real-world evidence
  • Comparative effectiveness research
  • Independent product evaluation
  • AI validation
  • Human-centered usability studies

Patient & Community Engagement

Successful innovation begins with meaningful partnerships. The Patient Innovation Lab works alongside patients, caregivers, clinicians, and community organizations throughout every stage of innovation.

  • Development and Training of Patient advisory boards
  • Patient-led research
  • Co-design and co-development accelerators
  • Caregiver engagement
  • Clinician engagement

Implementation & Scale

Generating evidence is only the beginning. We help organizations understand how innovations can be successfully integrated into healthcare delivery.

  • Implementation science
  • Health system adoption
  • Workflow integration
  • Dissemination strategies
  • Publication planning
  • Sustainability planning

Why the Patient Innovation Lab?

Many organizations can build innovative technologies. Few can demonstrate that those technologies improve patient outcomes, integrate into healthcare systems, and create measurable value in real-world settings.

The Patient Innovation Lab specializes in bridging the gap between innovation and implementation by combining scientific rigor, implementation science, community engagement, patient-centered design, real-world evaluation, and artificial intelligence expertise.

Partnership Opportunities

We offer flexible partnership models tailored to organizational goals, including:

  • Strategic research partnerships
  • Sponsored research
  • Product evaluation
  • Independent validation studies
  • AI implementation planning
  • Patient advisory activities
  • Grant collaborations
  • Scientific consulting
  • Executive advisory services

Who We Partner With

We collaborate with:

  • Technology companies
  • AI startups
  • Digital health organizations
  • Pharmaceutical companies
  • Medical device companies
  • Health systems
  • Payers
  • Employers
  • Foundations
  • Government agencies
  • Community organizations

Research and Innovation Partners

Let's Build the Future of Healthcare Together

The Patient Innovation Lab helps organizations develop technologies that are scientifically rigorous, patient-centered, implementation-ready, and positioned for real-world success.

Whether you are launching a new product, generating evidence for adoption, or scaling an innovation nationally, we look forward to exploring how we can work together.

Interested in partnering? Schedule a 30-minute discovery conversation to explore how the Patient Innovation Lab can support your organization's goals.

Reach Out

Publications

Peer-reviewed work from the Patient Innovation Lab

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