Grant: Prize - IHDCYH Talks

Historically, children and youth are not well represented in clinical research. [1] Individual reasons vary, but may include limited knowledge about research’s value in healthcare and how clinical trials work. [2,3] To successfully build a healthy and vibrant research community for children and youth in Canada, one strategy is to provide education about research that is simple, ageappropriate, and trustworthy. Using an integrated knowledge translation framework, our Pediatric Working Group (PWG) developed and produced a short superhero-themed animated video to help kids and their families learn about participating in research. In The Participators/Les Super Participants, Hazel and Sam arrive outside a pediatric research hospital and meet Nate, who works at the hospital. When they agree to learn more about taking part in a research study, they transform into research superheroes Flare and Blaze – two new Participators. By youth for youth, the video’s message is informed directly by pediatric research participants; in fact, all the video characters are real kids who have first-hand experience with clinical research participation. The video reinforces this fact when animated Nate transitions into real-life Participator Nate Hudson, who shares why participating in clinical research is important. While N2 Canada in partnership with PWG and CTEA provided the financial means and project management skills to produce the video, the concept, character design, storyboard and script were all developed by Nate, his mom Antonia Palmer, Linda Warner (PWG co-lead) and Rich Murray, owner/animator of RichToons. MICYRN and KidsCan/Youth Advisory also provided integral feedback on messaging and design.