Republished with permission from U of T Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Translational Research Program
By Jenni Bozec
When Connie Putterman joined the University of Toronto’s Translational Research Program (TRP), she wasn’t sure she belonged.
A self-described “mature student” without a science background, she brought years of business experience and a deeply personal connection to healthcare through her advocacy in the autism community. What she lacked in traditional research credentials, she made up for in lived experience and the TRP showed her just how valuable that could be.
“It completely changed my understanding of research,” she explains. “I realized scientists don’t have to work in a vacuum, and that understanding the needs of patients and families can actually help drive research forward. That’s what TRP taught me and it gave me the confidence to bring that perspective into the room.”
Putterman had already built a successful career in business, working in marketing and business development at the Ontario Centres of Excellence, where she helped forge collaborations between industry and research. But when her son was diagnosed with autism as a toddler, she stepped away from the corporate world to focus on his care.
In the years that followed, she became a prominent volunteer advocate for families like hers, serving on governance committees at research centres and lending her voice to autism research projects.
It was work she believed in deeply, but it was unpaid. “I spent years doing what was essentially a full-time job as a volunteer. I realized I didn’t really understand the research side of things - I didn’t have that foundation. And I thought, if I’m going to keep doing this, I want to actually understand what research means and how to contribute more effectively.”
That realization led her to a meeting with TRP’s program director. “I told him, ‘I haven’t been to school since the 1980s. Can I even do this?’”.
Putterman joined TRP in 2017. She found herself surrounded by a diverse group of students: physicians, research coordinators, undergraduates, and others returning mid-career, like her.
“The mix was incredible. We all brought different perspectives. And even though I didn’t come from a scientific background, the program was designed in a way that you could catch up and contribute meaningfully.”
TRP’s focus on human-centred and person-centred design resonated strongly with Putterman’s philosophy as a parent advocate. “It fit perfectly with how I thought research should work - asking the people it’s going to affect what impact it could have on them, and letting that shape the thinking from the start,” she says.
She also credited the program with teaching her how to reframe research questions, plan for knowledge translation early, and see research through a broader, translational lens.
“I still use the models and frameworks from TRP every day,” she said. “Even if I’m not pulling up the diagrams anymore, the mindset is there. It’s how I approach problems and how I engage with scientists and families. Before, I would sit in rooms full of PhDs and feel like I didn’t know the foundations of research processes to support change. The TRP gave me the confidence and knowledge to contribute in a meaningful way. It helped me see that my perspective as someone with lived experience has real value.”
Putterman’s time at TRP coincided with her growing involvement in a part-time professional role at McMaster University’s CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research. There, she helped design and deliver a groundbreaking training program to teach family members and scientists how to work together in research - a course that has now trained over 600 participants since its launch.
After graduating from TRP in 2019, she landed a full-time position as a family engagement lead at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto.
At CAMH, Putterman is part of an inaugural team tasked with embedding family and patient engagement into mental health research across the institute. She works directly with scientists and family advisors to ensure research reflects the needs of the people it aims to help.
“It’s not always easy. There are still senior scientists who have yet to embrace the notion of engaging with people with lived experience as part of research, but there are also more and more who get it. The TRP gave me the confidence and the language to have those conversations and move the agenda forward.”
Putterman’s advice for anyone considering TRP, particularly those from non-traditional backgrounds, is simple: do it.
“You don’t necessarily need to be a scientist to succeed in this program,” she said. “It’s really a problem-solving approach to healthcare and research. If you’re interested in making a difference and seeing the healthcare system from a new perspective, it’s the best thing you can do.”
