Patient Partners
Lorraine Bayliss, Patient Partner
I hold a Master of Education Degree from the University of Toronto. I have taught courses at York University that addresses the teaching and training of educators serving special needs identified students who are both identified gifted and those with specific learning disabilities.
I have lived with type 1 juvenile onset diabetes for over 52 years. I was not expected to live past my late forties when originally diagnosed. However, my Endocrinologist, who started the first Diabetic Management Centre and was married to the head of the Banting Institute, reminded me that there was a lot of research going on in this area. She listened to the patient voice which opened her mind to new perspectives and the patient identified needs. One of those research goals was helping women have a successful pregnancy. The greatest joy in my life was having normal healthy children. I gave birth to two sons. One is a Harvard graduate and recently featured in the Harvard Review and named one of the top 50 executives in Canada. My younger son is a cardiologist who was recommended for a Rhodes Scholarship. How can you not love a prolific researcher who listens to your voice and then works to provide persons like me with a quality of life that facilitates your dreams becoming your reality?
Ron Beleno, Patient Partner
Ron is an experienced family caregiver to his late father that lived well with Alzheimer’s for over 10+ years while partnering with his senior mother during their journey. He is an advocate in the dementia and aging communities with expertise in technology, aging in place, caregiving, and patient engagement. Ron is the co-chair for AGE-WELL NCE’s Older Adults and Caregiver Advisory Committee, which is Canada’s aging and technology network where he received their honorary fellows award for 2020. He is an advisor and presenter for groups such as the Alzheimer and Dementia Societies locally and internationally, the Centre for Aging &Brain Health Innovation at Baycrest, SE Health, and Coach with Healthcare Excellence Canada. Ron is a guest lecturer for universities and colleges in programs such as nursing, social work, occupational therapy, and aging. He is also a mentor in residence representing the caregiver and patient voice with University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine’s Translational Research Program and is on the Executive Board with the Ontario SPOR Support Unit (SPOR – Strategy in Patient Oriented Research). Further in his past, Ron was the Founder and Executive Director of a Youth Career and Employment Centre that served over 30,000 young people, immigrants, and career seekers in the Toronto area. Ron can be found at www.rb33.com/ron, on Twitter @rb33canada, and on LinkedIn @RonBeleno
