Maria’s Story: a case of patient empowerment through research contribution

Maria is both a former patient of IRST IRCCS, one of the partners of the FLUTE project, and a marketing professor at the University of Sussex Business School, specialising in the study of how individuals perceive and adopt emerging technologies. Her experience represents a concrete example of patient empowerment in practice. In this context, empowerment goes beyond access to information or participation in care decisions: it also includes the possibility for patients to actively contribute to research processes.

During her treatment pathway, Maria combined her lived experience as a cancer patient with her academic expertise. This dual perspective enabled her to provide structured feedback on the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare, contributing to a scientific study conducted by IRST on cancer patients’ attitudes towards AI and data protection within the FLUTE initiative.

Her contribution highlights the added value of involving patients not only as subjects of research, but as active contributors capable of enriching scientific work with experiential and multidisciplinary insights.

The following article reflects this integrated perspective, combining patient experience with academic analysis to explore how innovation, particularly artificial intelligence, can impact the doctor–patient relationship and the broader healthcare system.

Maria’s Story: a case of patient empowerment through research contribution

Innovation in healthcare includes new medicines, care pathways, and also new “behind the scenes” technologies aimed at improving how data is gathered, analysed, and used. Among these technologies, who hasn’t heard at least once about artificial intelligence (AI)? Newspapers and online news often depict AI as a revolution promising increased efficiency and effectiveness for medical staff. However, beyond these big headlines, many questions still exist about how these tools might influence patients’ perceptions, especially regarding the doctor–patient relationship.

Imagine for a moment being a patient who knows that, at the hospital where they are being treated, doctors have access to AI. What hopes or worries might they have?

As a marketing researcher interested in emerging technologies, these questions were part of my daily academic reflections. They took on a very different meaning when I literally stepped into the shoes of an oncology patient facing breast cancer. “Will I have more or less time to ask my doctor questions? How did they arrive at my diagnosis? And what happens to my data if they use AI as part of the process?” Sitting in the waiting room, I would never have imagined that the answers to these questions would come from contributing to a research project with the very doctors who were caring for me.

I remember very clearly the moment I gathered the courage to contact the IRST team to share my feedback on the care pathway—feedback informed not only by my experience as a patient but also by my role as a marketing researcher. My questions and ideas were immediately welcomed and appreciated as potential contributions to an ongoing project on how patients perceive the use of AI during treatment. After our initial exchanges, it quickly became clear that this contribution was not just potential—it was real. As a researcher, I brought an additional multidisciplinary perspective to the project, grounded in my field, marketing, which encourages stepping into the patient’s shoes and understanding their perceptions—always and without exception.

At the same time, I was bringing the patient’s voice directly to the team: a truly experiential perspective, empathy in action.

Participating in discussions, analysing survey data, and later co-writing the manuscript gave me renewed energy—between blood tests and chemotherapy sessions. It made me feel “alive,” reconnecting me with that professional identity the illness had suddenly interrupted. My relationship with my medical team adopted multiple dimensions: I was both an active partner in care decisions and a co-author. Together, we highlighted and communicated the importance of transparency in AI use and of educating all stakeholders to ensure proper practices that protect privacy and do not weaken the doctor–patient relationship. As time went on (and as my treatments continued to show positive results), I gradually regained my normal life, returning to the role of former patient resuming “work.”

When, in December 2025, we finally published the study we had started in 2023, I celebrated much more than another publication to my CV. I celebrated life’s victory over illness.

I celebrated a renewed understanding of the role marketing can play in healthcare.

And I gained yet another affirmation of the need for a multidisciplinary approach when addressing complex issues like the adoption of new technologies and their impact. Most importantly, I shared with the team a desire to continue our collaboration and explore new research topics together.

I am writing this post on the day of yet another follow-up mammogram. I do so with a clear awareness that the increasing incidence of cancer among "younger" patients - like me, diagnosed just a week after my 40th birthday - combined with advances in treatment, may lead to many more instances where patients and healthcare professionals collaborate in research. We “younger” patients can bring fresh perspectives to what innovation in healthcare truly means, not only through our lived experiences but also through our professional knowledge from fields beyond healthcare.

After all, innovation involves exploring new avenues beyond the well-trodden path. Having the privilege to research innovation-related topics alongside those who saved your life and who listen to your voice is invaluable.

Prof. Mariachiara Restuccia, PhD
Associate Professor in Marketing
Education and Students Lead for Strategy and Marketing
University of Sussex Business School
Department of Strategy and Marketing