Season 1, Episode 11: Russell Wheeler

This week, Avril welcomes Russell Wheeler to the Retina International In-Focus podcast. Since the diagnosis of his son with Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, a rare and inherited retinal condition, Russell has been a long-standing patient advocate within the retina community, working at a European level and as a patient representative on the board of the ERN-EYE. In this episode, Russell explains in great detail the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process, which is designed to collect and summarise information about a health technology such as drugs and medical devices with respect to their safety and effectiveness, as well as ethical, legal and other issues. In his conversation with Avril, Russell highlights the importance of patient engagement and involvement with the HTA process, and how, in his experience, having the patient perspective and voice as a key component in the decision making process has benefitted the outcomes for patient communities.