Visiting Scholars Program

Building Communities to Drive Change

Mission

The Visiting Scholars Program at the Norris Lab is dedicated to fostering a vibrant community of individuals with a personal connection to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Hypermobile Spectrum Disorders (HSD). Our mission is to provide an immersive, short term experience that diminishes the divide between patient and scientist, allowing participants to gain valuable insights into groundbreaking EDS healthcare practices and innovative research.

By offering tailored shadowing opportunities, engaging discussions with other patients, and collaborative seminars with experts, we empower our visiting scholars to deepen their understanding of how they can contribute meaningfully to the field. We are committed to inclusivity, ensuring that every scholar receives personalized support and accessibility accommodations, cultivating an enriching environment that inspires professional growth and fosters lasting connections.

Through this program, we aim to strengthen the patient-scientist community, enhance collaboration, and drive transformative change.

Our Approach

Our scholars spend three days in the Norris lab, shadowing researchers, learning about our ongoing research projects, engaging with other patient-scientists, and shadowing clinicians. We work to group scholars based on shared educational interests or career fields, allowing for tailored experiences and targeted opportunities with relevant researchers and physicians.

Three days doesn't seem very long, but we have found that this duration strikes the perfect balance, providing scholars with a concentrated and intensive experience where they can fully immerse themselves in the lab's work and establish meaningful connections with other patient-scientists, while accommodating their own health and minimizing disruptions to their academic or professional commitments.