#United States #Clinical Trials #Health Equity #Various #EQBMED

A New Era in Clinical Trials: Enhancing Diversity and Access

The landscape of clinical trials is undergoing a transformative shift thanks to the Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development (EQBMED), a collaborative partnership aimed at expanding clinical trial participation among underrepresented communities, particularly people of color and rural populations. Funded by a grant from PhRMA and led by prestigious institutions like Yale School of Medicine and Morehouse School of Medicine, EQBMED focuses on addressing significant barriers that have historically hindered access to clinical research.

Final Sites Selected

Recently, EQBMED announced the selection of four additional clinical trial sites across the United States during its learning phase. These sites include:

• - Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• - Health 360x, which is incorporating 35 trial sites across 14 states
• - Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia, in collaboration with Ocean Management Services
• - University of Alabama at Birmingham's Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center in Birmingham, Alabama

This expansion signifies a determined effort to combat barriers such as limited access to trial sites, historical distrust among communities, misinformation, and a lack of vital information about clinical trials.

A Community-Centric Approach

The initiative is rooted in community involvement and accessibility. EQBMED focuses on a co-leadership model, wherein community engagement is paramount, allowing for a collective approach in understanding and serving the unique needs of various populations. Tesheia Harris, a senior advisor at EQBMED, emphasizes the importance of partnering with sites at different stages of clinical trial readiness to ensure diverse community representation.

Spotlight on Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center has a decade-long commitment to improving access to clinical trials. By partnering with EQBMED, it aims to enhance community outreach and implement a co-learning model. They will leverage their extensive health records, streamlining processes and improving outreach to effectively connect patients with clinical trials focused on cancer care.

Nadine Barrett, senior associate dean at Atrium Health, stresses the significance of this partnership in making clinical trials accessible, ultimately facilitating faster discoveries and better treatment options.

Spotlight on Health 360x

Health 360x, with over two decades of experience, specializes in engaging small and medium-sized practice networks to conduct diverse clinical trials. By working with EQBMED, they seek to amplify their decentralized trial capabilities and enhance data integration processes, reducing burdens on healthcare providers while improving participant recruitment and engagement across therapeutic areas.

Spotlight on Southside Medical Center

As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Southside Medical Center has been recognized for its exemplary care delivery to underserved communities. Their partnership with EQBMED will help develop a model that integrates research aspirations with healthcare delivery, ensuring that patients have opportunities to engage in innovative clinical research.

Spotlight on UAB's Minority Health Center

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Minority Health and Health Equity Research Center focuses on community engagement and reducing health disparities. Their mission aligns seamlessly with EQBMED's goals, as both aim to foster trust in clinical research and enhance access for communities that have historically been underrepresented in biomedical studies.

A Commitment to Health Equity

The expansion of EQBMED's network signifies a pivotal step toward building an accessible and robust clinical trial ecosystem. By addressing barriers and promoting diversity, EQBMED not only enhances the validity of clinical research but also champions a community-first approach to medical discoveries. As highlighted by Dr. Elizabeth Ofili, these partnerships are the beginning of a new era that prioritizes the needs of diverse populations in clinical research, ensuring that advancements in medicine are representative of the communities they intend to serve.

In conclusion, the expansive outreach of EQBMED reiterates the commitment to create a more inclusive future in medicine development, ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has the opportunity to participate in advancing medical science.

Learn More About EQBMED

To find out more about the initiatives and collaborative efforts of EQBMED, visit EQBMED.org.