Consumer Engagement in Clinical Trials and Research
Consumer Engagement That Drives Recruitment & Reduces Research and Trial Costs
“Designing research with consumers, not simply for them, helps teams identify barriers early, strengthen funding applications, improve recruitment and retention, and increase real-world impact. Meaningful engagement should be embedded from the outset, not added as a compliance exercise.”
– Dr Shyamsundar Muthuramalingam, PhD, Director, Clinical Research & Teletrials | National Leader in Consumer & Community Engagement
“The session was extremely informative, and covered a very broad area which was great. The combination of the presentation, discussion and resources to back up how to take the information further in many areas was really helpful.” – Sally Herring, Clinical Project Manager, Bionics Institute
“This workshop provided a comprehensive understanding of consumer engagement in clinical trials. The facilitator was very knowledgeable and made you feel very comfortable and engaged in the workshop.” – Ella Knox, Close-Out study Coordinator, Cabrini Research
“Great interactive workshop. Loved the content and the real life scenarios were very helpful!” – Molly Cronin, Clinical Trials Coordinator, NSW Health
Are your studies struggling to recruit and retain participants?
Spending months responding to ethics feedback or making avoidable amendments?
Developing grant applications that are not scoring as highly as expected?
Finding it difficult to engage diverse communities?
Unsure what “meaningful consumer engagement” looks like in practice?
Meaningful consumer engagement can help address these challenges before they become costly barriers.
Workshop Overview
In this practical workshop, you will learn how to meaningfully involve consumers and communities throughout the clinical trial lifecycle.
You will explore approaches to design more participant-centred studies, strengthen funding applications, improve recruitment and retention, and reduce avoidable delays and research waste.
By incorporating lived experience early, research teams can identify barriers, build trust and deliver studies that are more accessible, relevant and likely to achieve meaningful impact.
Meaningful consumer engagement can:
- Improve community awareness, trust and acceptance of clinical trials
- Identify barriers to participation before they affect recruitment
- Improve participant recruitment, experience and retention
- Support studies and outcomes that better reflect community needs
- Reduce avoidable delays, protocol amendments and research waste
Who is this workshop for?
- Clinical Trial Managers, Coordinators and Site Researchers
- Sponsors and Clinical Research Organisation representatives
- Ethics, Research Governance and Project Officers
- Academics and health researchers
- Consumer Representatives, Patients and Community Advocates
This workshop is designed for anyone involved in planning, designing, managing or supporting clinical research who wants to create more inclusive, trusted and successful studies.
What You Will Learn
On completion of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Strengthen grant applications with consumer engagement approaches aligned with NHMRC and MRFF expectations
- Identify and address barriers affecting participant recruitment and retention
- Reduce avoidable protocol changes, delays and research waste
- Develop more accessible study information and build trust with diverse communities
- Avoid tokenistic engagement and demonstrate meaningful impact to funders and stakeholders
- Gain 4 CPD points for attending
Ready to strengthen your research design, improve recruitment and develop studies that better reflect the needs of participants and communities?
Join PRAXIS Australia for a practical, evidence-informed workshop that will give you the knowledge and strategies to engage consumers meaningfully and apply what you learn directly to your research.
Facilitator
Dr. Shyamsundar Muthuramalingam, PhD
Dr Shyamsundar “Shyam” Muthuramalingam is a recognised Australian leader in clinical research, consumer and community engagement, and research governance. He combines executive leadership, national policy expertise and lived experience to improve how health research is designed, delivered and translated into practice.
As Director of Clinical Research & Teletrials at Barossa Hills Fleurieu Local Health Network, SA Health, Shyam leads the development of regional clinical research capability, clinical trials, teletrials and research governance, with a focus on equitable access and embedding research within routine healthcare.
Over the past decade, Shyam has worked across health services, universities, registries, government, consumer organisations and industry. For more than five years, he has delivered consumer engagement education through PRAXIS Australia, training over 100 researchers, clinical trial managers, project officers, Clinical Research Organisation representatives, sponsors and other research professionals.
These practical workshops help organisations move beyond compliance to strengthen funding applications, improve recruitment and retention, reduce research waste and increase real-world impact. Shyam’s national leadership also includes appointments with the Australian Medical Council, contributing to medical education accreditation and international medical graduate assessment.
Price
Price: $599 +GST pp
PRAXIS Partner price: $479 +GST pp
*Savings available for group enrolments and for PRAXIS partner organisations.
Next Virtual Workshop
Thursday 3 December 2026: 10.00am – 2.00pm (Sydney Time)
Need training on demand?
This session can also be conducted at your location for groups of 10 or more. Ask us about this today.
PRAXIS Australia has the right to cancel a workshop or training session (or move the event format online) due to unforeseen circumstances. For more information regarding our Cancellation Policy and your rights as a student, please see our Student Terms and Conditions.
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