We are thrilled to announce a new grant from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health to support Generation Patient’s Roundtable on Young Adults with Chronic Medical Conditions. This initiative brings together a multi-stakeholder learning community of young adult patients, healthcare professionals, caregivers, and researchers to explore the most pressing systemic challenges impacting young adults living with chronic and rare conditions.
On March 31st, we hosted the first session of the series, which focused on the transition from pediatric to adult care. This inaugural session brought together over 20 participants, including patients, healthcare providers, and researchers, to explore the challenges young adults face during this pivotal stage of their healthcare journey. Our discussion was co-led by Caroline Walsh, a young adult patient from our community with experience navigating this transition, and Susan Shanske, MSW, Director of Transitional Care Support at Boston Children’s Hospital.
This roundtable series was shaped by a collection of meetings held last October with our Patient and Medical Advisory Committees, where members identified key systems-level issues affecting young adults with chronic conditions. Kiran Rachamallu, one of our Patient Advisory Committee members, shared:
“My complaints as a young adult patient navigating the healthcare system have often been dismissed and not taken seriously, so it was refreshing to have my experiences validated by peers experiencing the same challenges. We were actually able to dive deep into some of these complicated issues with a patient-first lens.”
Each of our roundtable sessions will result in published proceedings that highlight key insights and actionable recommendations from these discussions. Our goal is to disseminate these resources across the healthcare ecosystem, from academic institutions and providers to patients and families, to ensure that the voices and experiences of young adult patients shape meaningful, systems-level change.
For more information about this roundtable, as well as our other ongoing and past roundtable series, click here!