The MBCRC Advocate Researcher Program (MARP): connecting advocates and researchers as collaborative partners in cancer research

Involving patient advocates as partners in cancer research improves research and provides favorable experiences for both the researcher and the advocate. Previous work demonstrates challenges to establishing relationships between researchers and advocates, including uncertainty about why the relationships are necessary, how to establish them, what to say, and how they should be structured. To overcome these challenges, we established the Metastatic Breast Cancer Research Conference (MBCRC) Advocate Researcher Program (MARP) at the MBCRC in 2023. We outline the approach to the program to serve as a model for others interested in performing similar activities and report findings from surveys to establish evidence about the value of these relationships. The program connected 21 pairs of researchers and advocates, and participants responded to surveys about their experience, largely describing positive outcomes. Our hope is that a program like this could be used at any cancer conference in the future as we continue to encourage advocates and researchers to work together.