Vote for the Questions You Want Answered by the Patient Registry

Members of the cystic fibrosis community can have an even greater say in research when they vote for the Insight CF questions they most want answered. Readers have until June 21 to vote.

| 4 min read
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Laurie Eddy
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Fifteen years ago, I became part of the CF community after my two daughters were diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. After the initial shock and the struggle to establish a new normal for our family, I longed to have a connection to other families traveling through life with CF. Although I searched for ways to connect with other community members, there were very few options.

Initially, the only door open to patients and families was fundraising. So, I joined my local Great Strides committee. A few years later, another door opened, and patients and families were invited to help establish an advisory council for their CF care center. I jumped at the chance to be more connected to my local CF community.

Today, more doors have opened, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is now working to include the voice of the CF community in every aspect of its work.

In 2015, I joined the newly formed Patient and Family Research Advisory Committee, a group of people with CF and CF family members from across the country. Our mission is to include the patient voice in the design and dissemination of CF research, focusing on research using the data in the CF Foundation Patient Registry.

Late last year, we launched the Insight CF Registry Research Project -- the CF Foundation's first community-driven research initiative. As each of these doors have opened, my connection to the CF community has grown, and I am excited that there are now so many options for more folks to make a stronger connection. Participating in the Insight CF project has given me the opportunity to reach out and encourage others to get involved, and add their voice to the work of the CF Foundation.

We began the Insight CF project by asking people in the CF community to submit research questions that could be answered through the Registry. More than 350 people submitted questions, and more than 400 questions were asked! The questions were sorted into three categories:

  1. Questions we already know the answers to
  2. Questions that cannot be answered by the Registry (they would require more research)
  3. Questions that can be (but have not already been) answered with data already in the Registry

All submitted questions will be used to help us understand the community's needs and to help inform the research moving forward. The questions that fell into the first category will be shared across the CF Foundation to assist with content development on the CF Foundation's website. The questions in the second category -- those that would require more research outside of the Registry -- will be forwarded to researchers for consideration.

The questions that fell into the third category have already come back to our Insight CF project team (i.e., adults with CF, parents, siblings, and spouses). We worked to condense those 150 questions into a list of 22 questions.

We are now asking you to vote on which questions are most important to you so that we can answer the top questions by using the Registry. We need your vote, because no one knows CF better than the people who have it, their caregivers, family, and friends.

Let us know what is important to you. Your experience is valuable, and your vote will help us know which questions will have the greatest benefit to the CF community. The CF Foundation is listening. Make your voice heard. Vote.

This site contains general information about cystic fibrosis, as well as personal insight from the CF community. Opinions and experiences shared by members of our community, including but not limited to people with CF and their families, belong solely to the blog post author and do not represent those of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, unless explicitly stated. In addition, the site is not intended as a substitute for treatment advice from a medical professional. Consult your doctor before making any changes to your treatment.

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Topics
Get Involved | Patient Registry
Laurie-Eddy-Headshot

Laurie is mother to Maureen and Kelly, who were born with cystic fibrosis. She is a graduate of Russell Sage College and the University of Vermont, where she works. Laurie is an active advocate for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a member of the Vermont CF Center Advisory Board, Team Eddy's Great Strides Team Leader, and a member of the Foundation's Patient and Family Research Advisory Council. Laurie lives in South Burlington, Vt., with Maureen; Kelly; her husband, Jonathan; their dog, Roxy; and cat, Grayling. You can contact her at TeamEddyVermont@gmail.com, or follow her @LeddyVT on Twitter.

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