Sant Joan de Déu nominated for the Prix Galien USA 2026 Patient First Award

The nomination recognises the institution's commitment to research and healthcare innovation that place patients at the centre.

The Sant Joan de Déu Private Foundation for Research and Teaching (FSJD) has been nominated for the Prix Galien USA 2026 Patient First Award, an international award recognising initiatives that incorporate the patient perspective into clinical research and clinical trials.

The nomination recognises the SJD Strategic Patient Involvement Plan in Research and Innovation, Sant Joan de Déu's strategic plan to promote patient involvement in research and innovation, which has been in place at the institution for more than 12 years. This initiative reflects the institution's commitment to a research model that incorporates the voices and experiences of people living with a disease, with the aim of developing solutions that are better aligned with their actual needs.

This international recognition marks a milestone for Sant Joan de Déu and highlights the importance of integrating the patient perspective into every stage of the research process, from identifying needs to developing new healthcare solutions.

Patients Engagement in Research (PERA) Unit

The Patients Engagement in Research (PERA) Unit at the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD) aims to promote the active involvement of patients and their families in healthcare research and innovation processes. Its work focuses on incorporating patients' experiences, needs and priorities into the different stages of research, from project design to the interpretation and dissemination of results.

With a particular focus on paediatric research, the unit facilitates collaboration between patients, families and research teams through co-creation, advisory and training initiatives, as well as the review of protocols, information documents and materials intended for participants in clinical studies. In this way, PERA helps promote more inclusive, accessible and people-centred research that better addresses the actual needs of patients and their families.

This vision is built around a fundamental principle: "Nothing about us without us". In practice, it promotes children's participation as research advisors in studies addressing the diseases they live with. It also upholds Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises children's right to express their views on matters affecting them, including decisions about their health, and highlights the value of combining scientific knowledge with the experiences of patients and their families.

International recognition for a new approach to research

The Prix Galien Awards are internationally renowned honours in the fields of biomedical innovation and life sciences. The Patient First Award, established in honour of Michael J. Fox, focuses on initiatives that place patients at the centre of clinical research and the development of new therapeutic options.

This recognition provides an opportunity to showcase Sant Joan de Déu's patient involvement model internationally and to continue fostering a research culture in which patient engagement is essential to setting priorities, guiding projects and improving healthcare, both nationally and internationally.

This recognition is also an incentive to continue working together with patients, families, healthcare professionals and researchers to ensure that scientific advances increasingly address people's challenges and needs.

"Receiving this international nomination is a great source of satisfaction and, above all, an opportunity to highlight the importance of incorporating patients' voices into research and innovation. At Sant Joan de Déu, we work to ensure that people with lived experience of illness and their families can actively participate in research processes, contributing their knowledge and personal experiences to help shape the questions we ask as researchers and the solutions we develop. This award encourages us to continue moving towards more participatory, collaborative research that is closely connected to people's actual needs. This recognition belongs to all patients," says Begonya Nafria, Head of the Patient Involvement in Research Unit.