Lived Experience Network for the Curtin Medical Research Institute
The project
The Curtin Medical Research Institute’s mission is to enhance lives through pioneering biomedical research that improves our understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of complex health challenges, including terminal and lifelong conditions.
The Institute’s research is largely laboratory based, encompassing five focus areas: cancer, musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, dementia and neurodegeneration, and immunity and repair.
The involvement opportunity
Curtin MRI has an established Community Advisory Group that provides a lived experience perspective to its cancer research. The Institute now wants to expand consumer and community involvement into the other focus areas.
Curtin MRI would like to form a network of 15-20 consumers and community members to provide a lived experience lens to the research in the focus areas of: musculoskeletal health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, dementia and neurodegeneration, and immunity and repair.
Network members will be called upon on an ad hoc basis for activities relevant to them such as:
- Sharing lived experience with researchers as motivation for the research program (e.g. through focus-area meetings or an annual lived experience symposium)
- Reviewing lay summaries and synopsis sections of grant applications, providing broad consumer comments, and being named as an Associate Investigator where appropriate
- Providing advice on, and assisting with, study recruitment
- Providing a lived experience perspective on research findings
- Contributing to philanthropic and fundraising initiatives (e.g. reviewing donor-facing communications, advising on fundraising priorities, and, where willing, sharing lived experience at fundraising events)
Skills and experience
Curtin MRI are looking for consumers and community members with lived experience of one or more of the following conditions (or carers of those with one or more of these conditions):
- Bleeding and clotting disorders
- Heart disease and stroke
- Vascular-based neurological conditions
- Blood-vessel inflammatory disorders
- Energy disorders
- Liver disorders
- Infectious diseases
- Arthritis
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Migraine
- Neuropathic pain
- Diabetes
- Chronic pain
- Traumatic brain injury or concussion
- Chronic or non-healing wounds
- Leukaemia
- Hearing and balance disorders
- Dementia (including vascular dementia)
Curtin MRI particularly welcome members who are willing and comfortable to share their lived experience directly with researchers. At application, members can indicate their preferred mode(s) of involvement (e.g. storytelling, grant document review, advisory input).
Other information
You must reside in Western Australia
The network will be called upon on an ad hoc basis. Members will be approached based on the relevance of their lived experience to the activity. It is likely that most members will be called upon at least a couple of times per year.
Activities may be online or in-person at the Curtin Bentley Campus
An honorarium of $50/hour will be offered
Applications close 4 September 2026