Patient and Community Innovation Initiative

The Patient and Community Innovation Initiative brings together patients, caregivers, alumni, faculty, staff, and students across Geisel, Thayer, and Tuck to drive patient-led research and innovation. Rooted in lived experience, the Initiative ensures that solutions address real needs—improving relevance, adoption, and long-term impact.
Starting with patient priorities consistently leads to breakthrough ideas, especially for complex problems and longstanding health inequities that traditional, top-down approaches have failed to solve. 

 

Core Components

  1. Patient, Community, and Scientist Innovation Training Institute

    A training hub called the "Partnership Academy" that equips patients, community partners, and investigators with skills in equitable, collaborative, and culturally responsive research.

  2. Partner Repository

    A dynamic database of patients, caregivers, and community organizations interested in partnering on research, innovation, and evaluation efforts.

  3. Patient and Community Pitch Program

    A structured forum currently in development where patients propose new research questions, identify unmet needs, and present solution concepts for co-development with Dartmouth teams.

Track Record and Distinction
This model has already generated over $3 million in research funding and supported collaborations. The Department of Community and Family Medicine has built an international collaborative of patient leaders, health systems, and industry partners and developed Dartmouth’s Partnership Academy—an immersive community-based participatory research program now used across Dartmouth systems of care to identify stakeholder-driven gaps and co-design solutions.
Research and Evaluation Support
  • Patient-centered outcomes research development
  • Patient-centered outcomes research grant review
Innovation & Prototyping
  • Early-stage prototyping
  • Testing and feedback cycles with patients and community members
Training & Capacity Building
  • Expertise in measuring engagement using validated tools, including Dartmouth's Quality for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (QPCOR) Instrument available here
  • Community-based Participatory Research skills development for students, clinicians, and investigators
  • Partnership Academy training

Leadership & Staff

Portrait of Karen L. Fortuna, PhD, LICSW

Karen L. Fortuna, PhD, LICSW

Assistant Professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

A national leader in patient-led research, digital health innovation, and community-engaged methods. Dr. Fortuna developed the Partnership Academy and leads multi-state collaborations that bring lived experience into every stage of discovery.
Portrait of Renee L. Pepin, PhD

Renee L. Pepin, PhD

Assistant Professor, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

A key contributor specializing in community partnerships, patient governance, and innovation strategy. Dr. Pepin supports the development of tools, trainings, and systems that strengthen equitable engagement across Dartmouth’s network.
Portrait of Jessica K. Sand, PhD, MPH

Jessica K. Sand, PhD, MPH

Program Director, NNE Systems Transformation for Primary Care

Dr. Sand leads work on patient-centered solution design, prototyping, and research operations. She works closely with patients, caregivers, and teams to ensure innovations are feasible, culturally responsive, and aligned with real unmet needs.