Disability insurance: Disability insurance is a form of insurance that replaces lost income for someone unable to work due to psychological disorders or an injury, illness, or condition that causes them physical impairment or incapacity to work. It ranges from paid sick leave, short-term disability benefits (STD), and long-term disability benefits (LTD) provided by federal programs from the Social Security Administration, some state-sponsored plans, and private, paid programs from commercial insurers.

Discovery workshop: A specific activity in the discovery phase when those impacted by the health issue in focus are recruited and engaged for research via interactive group activities. The purpose of the workshop is to inform the subsequent development of a research plan by listening and gathering knowledge from participants, better understanding who the impacted people are, and exploring what it is that they want and need to improve their lives.

Dysautonomia: A term for when the autonomic (automatic) nervous system (ANS) doesn’t work as it should. The ANS is responsible for maintaining a constant internal temperature, regulating breathing patterns, keeping blood pressure steady, and moderating the heart rate. It also plays a role in pupil dilation, sexual arousal, and excretion. Conditions that cause dysautonomia usually affect these bodily functions. Dysautonomia is a related condition of Long COVID.

Ecosystem: Something (such as a network of organizations) considered to resemble an ecological ecosystem because of its complex interdependent parts.

Health literacy: The degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform health-related decisions and actions for themselves and others.

Human-centered design (HCD): A creative approach to problem solving that centers the process and solutions around the people and communities who are impacted. Using qualitative research, this approach humanizes the problems at hand by viewing lived experiences and perspectives as valuable and necessary in solving the problems, and can augment clinical and public health research and initiatives.

Infection-associated chronic illnesses: Illnesses that include a patient history of infection by viral or bacterial pathogens followed by long-lasting and often debilitating symptoms including severe fatigue, cognitive impairment, and multi-organ dysfunction. Examples of infection-associated chronic illnesses include: Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue disease (ME/CFS), persistent or post-treatment Lyme disease, and multiple sclerosis.

Insights: Information and data breakthroughs that reveal behavior patterns, drive decision-making, and point to solutions or ideas.

Journey map: A journey map is a visual representation of a person’s experience from beginning to end. It documents the steps they take across the course of the experience, the tools and resources they use to complete certain steps, the challenges or pain points that pose obstacles along the way, and the opportunities for enhancing or improving the experience.