Background: Training and education can play a significant role in empowering patient partners and strengthening their meaningful engagement in health research projects. The Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) program is a three-course certificate program delivered by the University of Calgary Continuing Education, with support and oversight from the Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit Patient Engagement Team. The 12-month program aims to train patients and community members to conduct a patient-oriented and participatory health research project- to bring patient-informed health research evidence into health care planning, practice and policy. Since 2012, the PaCER program has supported over 45 health research projects. Purpose: Since 2019, our team (Alberta Strategy for Patient Oriented Research (AbSPORU) Patient Engagement Team) has been providing academic guidance to the PaCER program. Researchers sponsor a group of learners to take the course and complete a project. The purpose of our study is to understand the impacts of the PaCER program. This includes PaCER’s impact on the project sponsor’s program of research and past students’ academic careers and work in health research and health systems. Methods/Process: The Kirkpatrick model for evaluating training programs guided the development of this evaluation. We conducted 18 interviews with past sponsors and alumni, using purposive sampling. Each participant took part in a one-on-one, semi-structured interview. Sponsors and alumni shared their experiences, perceived professional and personal impacts following the PaCER program, and areas of improvement for the program. Data was analyzed iteratively using inductive thematic analysis. Key Findings: Alumni described the significant personal impact and empowerment, academic contributions, and increased and more valuable patient partner opportunities. Both alumni and sponsors spoke about finding meaningful patient engagement opportunities as motivation of taking PaCER. Sponsors described subsequent projects informed by PaCER, personal impacts of sponsoring a cohort, and potential impacts on health policy and implementation.