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The SE Research Centre is excited to announce the launch of the inaugural call for applications for the Paul Holyoke Graduate Fellowship in Participatory Health Services Research. The Fellowship will support a PhD student to develop knowledge and practical skills in authentic participatory health services research, and over time, will develop a community of researchers who advocate for and practice authentic and meaningful engagement of experts-by-experience in research. 
 
In the inaugural year, there are three components of the Fellowship: 
1. Mentoring focused on the Fellow’s participatory health services research project 
2. Participation in an SE Research Centre participatory health services research project 
3. Funding to support authentic participation in the Fellow’s health services research project 

The Fellowship award amount is $5,000. 

The Fellowship was initiated in recognition of Dr. Paul Holyoke’s years of leadership in the SE Research Centre and his commitment to mentorship of the next generation of health services researchers in cultivating solutions for more equitable health and social care in Canada.
 

About the Fellowship components

1. Mentoring focused on the Fellow’s participatory health services project 
The successful Fellow will have a participatory health services research project underway or will be developing their proposal for such a project. Choices about practical techniques for authentic engagement, and about responses to the needs and preferences of experts-by-experience as they arise, are made both in the planning and the execution stages of participatory health services research projects. In all cases, it is usually useful and helpful to have ongoing advice and guidance on engaging experts-by-experience.  

For this guidance and advice during the Fellowship, a member of the SE Research Centre with experience in participatory health services research will provide: (a) a one-hour online orientation to recent developments in participatory health services research literature and practice and the SE Research Centre’s Participatory Research to Action Framework (PR2A) [1], and (b) one-hour online mentoring sessions every two weeks for the duration of the Fellowship.   

2. Participation in an SE Research Centre participatory health services research project 
The SE Research Centre developed and applies the Participatory Research to Action Framework (PR2A) in its work [1]. The PR2A was developed by the Centre through adaptation of aspects of Community-Based Participatory Research, Experience Based Co-Design, Integrated Knowledge Translation, Participatory Action Research, and Service Design. The PR2A intentionally uses the term “experts-by-experience” rather than such terms as “patient partner” to acknowledge that participants’ experiences are not likely limited to, for example, their experiences while a patient in the health care system.   

During the Fellowship, the successful candidate will be invited to observe and participate in meetings of one of the SE Research Centre’s project teams to gain insights into the use and application of the PR2A Framework to ensure the authentic participation of experts-by-experience. Online meetings of such a team and project are generally held every two weeks and usually last one hour.  

3. Funding to support authentic participation in the Fellow’s participatory health services research project 
Funding for authentic engagement of experts-by-experience is not routinely available to PhD students, and this Fellowship provides some funding for anticipated expenses such as participant honoraria and hospitality, graphic design for materials used in workshops, printing, couriers and postage, support with information technology to enable participation, transcription, translation, and development of knowledge mobilization materials. 
 

Eligibility for the Fellowship

PhD students are eligible to apply for the Fellowship if they are Canadian citizens or permanent residents and are currently enrolled in a thesis-based doctoral program in the field of health services or a related field at a Canadian university.  

Method and Criteria for selection of the successful Fellow

A committee of SE Research Centre researchers will review applications. The review criteria are as follows: 

Assessment of the Applicant’s incoming contribution to the Fellowship – 50% 

• The Applicant’s research experience and achievements 

• Originality and potential impact of the Applicant’s thesis research project 

• The methods for the Applicant’s thesis research project 

• The Applicant’s ideas about a knowledge mobilization plan

Assessment of the fit of the Applicant with the Fellowship purpose and the Fellowship environment – 50% 

• The Applicant’s current thinking about a plan to engage experts-by-experience 

• The potential for the Applicant’s thesis research project to benefit from the Fellowship components 

• The extent to which the Fellowship timeline complements the Applicant’s thesis research project timeline 

• The alignment of the Applicant’s thesis research project with SE Research Centre priorities 

Timelines for the Fellowship, applying, and decision making

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, May 31, 2026 and a decision will be made in mid June. The Fellowship will run for a period of six months, covering approximately two academic terms. Applicants are invited to indicate which two terms (Fall/Winter, starting in October, or Spring/Summer, starting in May) would be most beneficial to them in terms of participating in the Fellowship activities and taking advantage of the mentoring for the preparation  or execution of a participatory health services research project as part of their PhD training. Details (including timing) of payment to support authentic participation in the Fellow’s health services research project will be discussed after acceptance.  

How to Apply

Complete the application form and email a consolidated application by 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, May 31, 2026. Click here to download the fillable application form. 

Confidentiality of application materials
All applications will be made available only to the committee of members of the SE Research Centre who will be reviewing the applications, and will be stored on SE Health’s secure servers in Canada for three years before secure destruction.  

About the SE Research Centre
Founded in 2002, the SE Research Centre is embedded in one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit social enterprises, SE Health. The Research Centre drives evidence-informed decisions across SE Health and the broader ecosystem, using a Learning Health System model to integrate data, knowledge, and practice – delivering solutions-focused, community-enabled, and system-level impact. ​ Since 2023, the SE Health has been authorized to administer Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) funding for independent scientists working in the SE Research Centre. 

Visit https://research.sehc.com/resources for more information about the Research Centre’s priority areas and associated projects.

Questions

Questions about the application process may be mailed to Tammy Kim, SE Research Centre Portfolio Manager (research@sehc.com) any time before 11:59pm Eastern Time on Sunday, May 17, 2026. 

© 2026. This document is openly licensed via CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Reference 

1. Giosa JL, Evans C, Cardozo V, Holyoke P. Developing and applying the ‘Participatory Research to Action Framework’ for meaningful engagement of experts-by-experience in applied health services research: A case study approach. Research Involvement and Engagement. 2025;12:7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40900-025-00824-x