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"The Diversity Mandate: Effective Strategies in Clinical Trials" exceeded my expectations. The panelists Garo Kiledjian, Stacey Bledsoe and Denise N. Bronner, Ph.D. were exceptional. The speakers tackled the real issues around making clinical trials more diverse and why it matters. Dr. Bronner, made a key point: we need to stop seeing diversity as a challenge and start viewing it as an opportunity. This shift is crucial if we want to dismantle outdated systems and drive change in our industry. It was also encouraging to hear about the diversity efforts of companies like Johnson & Johnson, GSK, Gilead Sciences, and Pfizer. While progress is slow, important steps are being made. 💡Another vital point was the accuracy of data in clinical trials. Sometimes doctors guess a patient’s race, which can lead to flawed data. This underscores the need for precise data collection on race and ethnicity. ✅Overall, the honest conversations in this webinar were exactly what we needed. It’s time to acknowledge past mistakes and work toward a more inclusive future in clinical research. 👏🏽Thanks to Dan Schell and Clinical Leader for hosting such a critical discussion! #Clinicaltrials #ClinicalTrialEnrollment #DiversityInTrials --- 🔥I help organizations speed up diverse enrollment by bridging gaps between communities and crucial research. Let's chat!

The clinical research industry is increasingly aware of the importance of diversity and representation in clinical trials, but improving the situation is proving challenging. This article outlines the role of trust in engaging underrepresented groups in clinical trials, and how technology can help. https://buff.ly/3yVj3pR #representation #clinicalreserch #diversity #clinicaltrials

Looking forward to attending the Diversity Action Plan presentation! It’s a vital conversation about fostering inclusivity and representation in clinical trials, and how strategic study development can drive meaningful change. Excited to learn and be inspired. Check it out! #DiversityInResearch #ClinicalTrials #StrategicDevelopment #Innovation

To foster diversity and inclusion in the clinical research industry, building trust is absolutely critical. And making treatments effective and safe for all patients regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and other factors requires a multifaceted approach across the entire industry. In his latest piece for Forbes Technology Council, our CEO Gadi Saarony shares insights into why fear and mistrust of clinical trials still exists in many communities today, despite research being highly regulated, and how we can leverage technology to increase trust. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/epdza8kP #ClinicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #DEI

The recent decision to remove information regarding clinical trial diversity and health equity from the FDA website is concerning. Despite this setback, the industry's focus on clinical trial strategies and equity priorities is unlikely to shift significantly. The emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion is not solely driven by altruism; it is also a sound business practice. As Eleanor Roosevelt aptly stated, "When it's better for everyone, it's better for everyone."

There is no rhyme or reason that racial, ethnic, sex, gender, age, etc make up of patient populations shouldn't be reflected in clinical trials that test drugs, devices, procedures in those patients, but that is our history. We've done so poorly at ensuring trials represent real world patient populations that so many times we don't know if a drug would be effective in a female or in a child, for example. DEI in clinical trial design ensures that we can have confidence in the results of the trial because the intervention was tested on adequately representative patients.

For too long we've made #womenshealth synonymous with #reproductivehealth. But women are more than just vessels for childbirth! It cannot be stipulated enough. Just look at these statistics: 🧘♀️ Women spend 25% more of their lives in debilitating health than men, according to a report from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the McKinsey Health Institute. 🧘♀️ The women's health gap includes a persistent data gap with women being under-diagnosed for certain conditions compared to men. 🧘♀️ “For millennia, medicine has functioned on the assumption that male bodies can represent humanity as a whole,” British feminist author, Criado Perez said. “As a result, we have a huge historical data gap when it comes to female bodies. Women are dying, and the medical world is complicit. It needs to wake up.” (Source: WEF) It's #AAPI month and as we recognize the contributions and influence of Asian Americans, it's important to show your support 🌺 . 🙋🏽♀️ I'm Anushay and I give tailored keynote speeches and presentations about the women’s health crisis in America at universities, medical institutions and organizations. 🙋🏽♀️ I'm also a bestselling author and podcast host on the subject. 🙋🏽♀️ Check out #ThePainGapPodcast and #ThePainGapBook. I'm booking keynotes and workshops for Q3 and Q4 2024 now! Get in touch to learn more about how to hire me for your organization's next gala event or conference. #womenshealth #medicalgaslighting #maternalhealth #healthcare #ThePainGapBook #ThePainGapPodcast

🌟 Exciting News in Clinical Research! 🌟 The FDA issued a press release for the draft guidance on diversity in clinical trials (linked below). This is a necessary step forward in enhancing diversity in clinical trials. This new directive requires the submission of Diversity Action Plans for certain Phase III/pivotal studies, aiming to improve enrollment of underrepresented populations. Why is this important? 🤔 Diversity in clinical trials (1) is crucial because diverse clinical trial participation ensures that the data reflects the real-world diversity of patients who will benefit from the medical products once approved - a necessary requirement to prove safety and efficacy and (2) leads to better health outcomes by providing insights that are applicable across different demographic groups, thus enhancing the safety and effectiveness of new therapies. At Optum Life Sciences, we understand the challenges in recruiting and retaining a diverse trial cohort. That's why we developed special capabilities within our Prospector tool, designed to help researchers identify and engage with patient populations that mirror the diversity of the target population in terms of race, ethnicity, age, and gender. Our tool leverages real-world data, ensuring that your clinical studies meet FDA requirements and contribute to more equitable health outcomes. Let's lead the change in making clinical research more inclusive! 🚀 #ClinicalTrials #DiversityInResearch #FDA #HealthcareInnovation #OptumLifeSciences #Optum

I had the privilege of attending the DPHARM: Disruptive Innovations to Modernize Clinical Research Conference last week with my Novartis colleagues that work across all aspects of global clinical trials, where I also served as Track Chair for Day 2 afternoon sessions on Advancing DEI, Risk Mitigation Tools, and Data-Driven Machine Learning Approaches. The afternoon was filled with valuable insights and best practices, with an engaged audience asking thoughtful questions. It was inspiring to hear from speakers and panelists representing Gilead, Merck, Abbvie, BMS, Genentech, Acclinate and UT Health San Antonio, as they shared their strategies and successes in diversity action plans, health literacy, AI/ML use in community engagement, patient enrollment acceleration, and performance analytics. What I loved most was the consistent focus on the patient in every presentation and the collective commitment from everyone that we all need to work together across the ecosystem to achieve the best results. One panel concluded with the question, “What’s one thing that can advance clinical trial diversity?” Responses included addressing standard of care and affordability, ensuring sites located near diverse populations, and avoiding transactional patient engagement. My contribution was highlighting the importance of including and partnering with Diverse-owned suppliers, who have long provided innovative and culturally relevant engagement strategies, but are often overlooked when considering strategic partners and service providers. I’m excited to continue collaborating with the clinical trial diversity team at Novartis to further drive diversity, health equity, and innovation in global clinical trials. #dpharm2024 #clinicaltrialdiversity #supplierdiversity #novartis #passionmeetspurpose

Merck is taking steps to increase diversity within clinical trials, focusing on the underrepresentation of minority groups. In a recent interview, Dr. Aurelia Allen, she talked about the importance of having a larger range of participants.   To improve diversity efforts, Merck is working with communities and using mobile clinics to improve access and awareness to clinical trials, making them more inclusive. This makes it possible for more people to consider taking part in trials which help with medical advancements.    Learn more at the link below:   #clinicaltrials #diversity #access