SYNERGY Expert Meeting

Expert Meeting

The annual Synergy Expert Meeting is organized to provide an opportunity for synergistic discussion between health psychologists conducting research in core fields of their discipline. It is an opportunity for researchers to present their research for in-depth discussion with other experts in the same field in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

The Synergy Expert Meeting is a satellite event of the EHPS conference and has its own registration procedure.

Practical Information

Mon 25th and Tue 26th of August 2025

Pricing: 300€

Implementing Participatory Research in European Health Psychology

Meeting Description

Participatory Research is an umbrella term that includes any research approach that seeks authentic and engaged collaboration with academic topic experts, people with lived experience of the topic and people who’ll be directly impacted by the research (e.g. PPI, co-creation, co-design, community engagement, participatory action research). While it holds promise for improving the quality and fairness of health research as well as enhancing the impact of health interventions, particularly in marginalized populations, it also presents challenges. Researchers, participants, and funding bodies must adapt to new roles and responsibilities, and issues such as lack of resource planning, (structural) funding, and varying political and social contexts can affect the routine implementation of Participatory Research in Health Psychology. During this workshop, we will apply Implementation Theory to systematically map, understand, and improve implementation of Participatory Research in Health Psychology across countries.

Specific objectives of the EHPS Synergy Expert Meeting include to:

Create an overview of how Participatory Research is implemented in the field of Health Psychology across individual researchers, countries, and settings using the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Discuss what researchers can do (‘strategies’) and recommend changes (e.g. in policy) that would be needed for those strategies to actually work to improve implementation of Participatory Research across countries and settings.
Establish the foundations of a network between health psychologists, people with lived experience, health care providers, and others interested in participatory research.
Outline a manuscript summarizing the current state of implementation of Participatory Research and strategies and recommendations to improve it.
Researchers with experience in Participatory Research are encouraged to participate. Applicants should have at least planned, designed, conducted, analyzed, reported, or sought funding for one Participatory Research project to meaningfully engage in the Expert Meeting. The scope will be further refined based on participants’ expertise.

Facilitators:

Tessa Dekkers is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Behavioural, Management, and Social Sciences at the University of Twente

Emily Hillison is Lived Experience Programme Lead – Inpatient Culture of Care at Sheffield Hallam University

Anna Levke Brütt leads the Junior Research Group on Rehabilitation Research at Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg”

How can I apply?

If you’re interested in attending, please complete the application here.