Research Priorities for healthy aging in Ontario

[Annette McKinnon]

reaching out to share an engagement opportunity related to a research study focused on identifying health research priorities to support healthy aging among older adults in Ontario.

This project is being led by Dr. Sharon Straus and Dr. Christine Fahim of the Knowledge Translation Program at Unity Health Toronto. The project engages older adults, caregivers, healthcare professionals, and others working in healthy aging to identify research topics that matter most to the community. Following two earlier phases where participants submitted and ranked research questions, the team is now hosting a final virtual prioritization workshop. During this session, participants will discuss and rank the top 20 questions and agree on a final list of the top 10 research priorities to inform future research. For more information about the workshop logistics and participation, please refer to the recruitment ad attached to this email.

Eligibility criteria:
Participants who live in Ontario and belong to one of these groups:

∙ Older adults 65 years of age or older diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions (i.e. diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer etc.)

∙ Caregivers (i.e., family/friends) who currently care for older adults ≥65 years diagnosed with two or more chronic conditions

∙ Healthcare professionals who directly work and care for older adult populations within clinic, hospital and long-term care and retirement home settings

∙ Professionals from organizations whose work aims to improve health outcomes and/or promote healthy aging among older adult communities

Engagement Details:

∙ Engagement format: Virtual through Zoom

∙ Time commitment: 5 -6 hours on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET

∙ Compensation: $40 per hour, provided via EFT, e-transfer, or MasterCard e-gift cards

∙ Engagement activities: Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussions about the most important research questions and agree on a list of the Top 10 research questions that the Knowledge Translation Program will consider for future research.

If you are interested in participating, please complete the brief eligibility survey by Friday, January 2, 2026, using the following link: https://redcap.link/dm0hvxv8

Participants will be contacted by Monday, January 5, 2026, to confirm eligibility and participation.

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact Arthana Chandraraj at Arthana.Chandraraj@unityhealth.to.

e: sporea@smh.ca |