Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development

Participating in a clinical trial comes at no financial cost to patients—but the impact can be truly priceless. That’s just what EQBMED's trusted messenger, Reverend Clarence Cross, Jr. reflected on during this season of gratitude. From a life-changing prostate cancer diagnosis to a lifesaving clinical trial that allows him to play basketball daily and experience his grandson growing up, his story is a powerful representation of the impact of clinical research. Every participant's story is unique, but everyone deserves access to clinical trials right in their community. And that is what EQBMED is working toward– a more accessible and community-centered clinical trial landscape. Learn more about our work: https://eqbmed.org/

Organized by Scot X. Esdaile of Urban Marketing Network, EQBMED leaders and trusted experts Tesheia Harris, formerly Johnson, Reverend Dr. Leroy O. Perry, Jr., and former Associate Commissioner for Minority Health at the FDA, Richardae “Chardae” Araojo, led conversations about the importance of community-based clinical trial research. Speaking to Livingstone College and Bethune-Cookman University students and faculty, they shared the importance of being involved in the clinical trial ecosystem as a participant, a researcher, an advocate, a sponsor, and more. Their discussion focused on EQBMED's unique and uncharted approach to bringing clinical trials closer to the community and how the next generation of leaders can drive impact in medical research. Our team also had the opportunity to engage with experts including Shavon Arline-Bradley, CEO of National Council of Negro Women, Inc. HQ and R.E.A.C.H and Michael Curry, President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers and Board Member on the NAACP National Board of Directors. Thanks to Livingston College and Bethune-Cookman University students, faculty, and staff for hosting these conversations!

EQBMED is proud to announce the publication of impactful research in the BioMed Central Journal, Trials! The core of this research is the EQBMED Site Maturity Assessment Model, an innovative tool developed under the leadership of Tesheia Harris, formerly Johnson, Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS, Dr. Leslie Curry, and the EQBMED Network Partners. This model uniquely bridges two often siloed areas in clinical trials: research operations and community engagement. By evaluating these elements together, the model provides a holistic view of a clinical trial site's capacity, areas for growth, and the barriers communities face in accessing trials. By assessing critical factors like social determinants of health, trust in healthcare and research institutions, and the real-world pressures potential participants experience, this model supports sites in prioritizing actionable strategies for conducting meaningful, community-centric clinical trials. The development of EQBMED's Site Maturity Assessment Model is a testament to the power of collaboration. Its development and testing brings together a broad and unique group of contributors, including biopharmaceutical companies, community members, federal agencies, scientists, and academic leaders. As the EQBMED Model continues to be implemented at a range of clinical trial sites nationwide, EQBMED is committed to supporting sites on their journey to ensure communities of color and rural residents have access to innovative clinical trials. Read more to learn how this model stands as a new standard to support the creation of an accessible landscape in medical research, ultimately achieving more representative trial populations and improving health outcomes across diverse communities. https://lnkd.in/ef6raeXv Thank you to those who provided their expertise for this manuscript and continue to elevate the importance of EQBMED’s approach to community-centric clinical trial sites. Peter Embí, M.D., M.S., Dr. Elizabeth Ofili, Priscilla Pemu MBBS MS FACP FAHA, Sakinah Carter Suttiratana, Samantha Lew Fretz, Savannah Dukes Leonard, and Erika Linnander. Yale School of Medicine Yale School of Public Health Vanderbilt University Medical Center Research Centers in Minority Institutions - Coordinating Center (RCMI-CC) Morehouse School of Medicine

The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) plays a crucial role representing 308,000 African American nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed vocational/practical nurses, nursing students, and retired nurses from the US, Eastern Caribbean, and Africa. As one of EQBMED’s professional society partners, NBNA promotes educational opportunities in clinical research and helps build a more diverse and representative clinical trial workforce. This diversity fosters greater trust between patients and providers—particularly when Black researchers can bring their unique cultural understanding to the table. The insights of Black researchers, clinicians, and patients are crucial for culturally competent research. So, for National #NursePractitionerWeek, and every week, we celebrate the incredible contributions of nurse practitioners and the leadership of organizations like NBNA, which uplifts the voices of Black nurses and helps us move toward more equitable clinical research. Learn more about NBNA at https://nbna.org/

#DYK heart health plays a role in diabetes? This #NationalDiabetesMonth, we are proud to spotlight the instrumental contributions of Dr. Elizabeth Ofili, an EQBMED Network Partner Leader, at the forefront of research bridging the gap between heart disease and hypertension in Black patients. As the former Director & Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Research Center & Clinical and Translational Research and the Principal Investigator of the Research Centers in Minority Institutions - Coordinating Center (RCMI-CC) at Morehouse School of Medicine, Dr. Ofili has made incredible strides in advancing clinical understanding of cardiovascular diseases, particularly among Black patients and women. Among her many achievements, Dr. Ofili spearheaded the African American Heart Failure Trial (AHEFT), revolutionizing heart failure treatment guidelines for African Americans. She also founded the Association of Black Cardiologists, Inc. Center for Women’s Health and Epidemiology and currently leads the Health 360x Cardiovascular Study (CVIS), which integrates social determinants and technology to enhance clinical trials and address health disparities. She is the Global Principal Investigator of the Amgen-sponsored 5,000-participant African American Heart Study, aimed at understanding the association of high Lp(a) levels and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Dr. Ofili's dedication to improving patient outcomes continues through her direct collaboration with EQBMED local clinical trial sites to address systemic barriers that underserved patients often face when it comes to clinical trials, including a lack of outreach, patient mistrust, and a lack of clinical trial infrastructure in historically underserved communities Thank you for being such an influential leader in improving access to scientific discovery and enhancing diversity in clinical trials.

EQBMED's multi-stakeholder model allows for a holistic approach with network partners focused on both supporting local clinical trial site readiness and sustainability in medical research. ? As the lead network partner, Yale School of Medicine’s role in EQBMED is directed by Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS In addition to her many accolades and accomplishments within the medical field, Dr. Nunez-Smith continually demonstrates her commitment to identifying and implementing solutions to promote health equity – and this is evident in her passionate work to improve the quality of breast cancer care for Black and Latino communities. Serving as the Associate Cancer Center Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at Yale Cancer Center, and the Chief Health Equity Officer at Smilow Cancer Hospital, Dr. Nunez-Smith’s expertise is critical to supporting the cancer research initiatives of EQBMED local sites. Thanks to leaders like Dr. Nunez-Smith, EQBMED is able to build on the collaborative efforts and knowledge of its network partners and community partners. It’s an honor to recognize Dr. Nunez-Smith and her work this #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth as she continues to inspire and drive progress in the fight against breast cancer. Learn more about EQBMED and our network partner leaders on our website https://www.eqbmed.org

Exciting news for two of our EQBMED Network Partner leaders! Dr. Priscilla Pemu MBBS MS FACP FAHA, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Associate Dean for Clinical Research and Director of the MSM Clinical Research Center at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), and Peter Embí, M.D., M.S. Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) and Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, were recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). As one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine, Dr. Pemu and Dr. Embí have been recognized for their outstanding achievements, contributions, and service to medical sciences, health care, and public health. Dr. Pemu’s election into NAM cites her pioneering work on clinical trial diversity, centering on the importance of regaining trust, fostering transparent collaboration, and ensuring the equitable participation of diverse populations in medical research, from Grady Health, a large public hospital, to primary care practices, historically black churches and institutions—and the mentorship she and Morehouse provide to EQBMED clinical trial sites. Dr. Embí is regarded as a trailblazing physician-scientist whose career bridges health care, research, public health, and biomedical informatics. His thought leadership and research led to the field of clinical research informatics, real-world evidence generation, the safe and effective use of AI in health care, and data-driven learning health systems that improve health and care—and critical expertise needed in clinical trial research. From biomedical informatics to cardiology, they continue to lead in their respective areas of focus and drive health equity forward. In their work leading EQBMED, Dr. Pemu and MSM are partners with EQBMED local clinical trial site at Grady Health System in Atlanta, GA, and Dr. Embí and VUMC are partners with EQBMED local clinical trial site at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN. As NAM members, Dr. Pemu and Dr. Embí join their EQBMED colleagues, Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS of Yale School of Medicine and Dr. Elizabeth Ofili of Research Centers in Minority Institutions - Coordinating Center (RCMI-CC). With this achievement, all four EQBMED Network Partner Physicians are now members of NAM—a remarkable distinction highlighting the collective expertise and leadership within this initiative. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition and thank you for your remarkable contributions and continued leadership! Read the full announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gXfSqCT9

Marking further progress toward creating a more equitable medical research landscape, EQBMED announces the selection of two additional local clinical trial sites in Texas– another critical avenue to enhancing clinical trial access in Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Rural communities. We welcome to EQBMED Community Action Corporation of South Texas (CACOST) in Alice, and UT Southwestern Medical Center, in collaboration with Parkland Health and a network of nonprofit community-based clinics, in Dallas. The selection of these sites is honing in on the community-focus of EQBMED, with CACOST being the first Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the program and Parkland as the third largest safety net hospital in the US. Both sites serve an important role in the Hispanic, Latino, and Rural communities, and will be the path to improving access to innovative clinical trials. Read our full press release and learn more about our work collaborating with communities of color and rural communities to make clinical trials more accessible: https://lnkd.in/eqyEma6P

Having been recognized with numerous awards, including the Distinguished Puerto Rican Women in STEM honor from G Works, Inc., and the Amgen Foundation, we are highlighting Dr. Emma Fernández-Repollet - a member of the EQBMED Advisory Committee and a distinguished leader in the field of physiology and minority health research. Since joining the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus in 1982, Dr. Fernández-Repollet has significantly contributed to the University's teaching and research, and has been instrumental in developing research infrastructure through the Research Centers in Minority Institutions - Coordinating Center (RCMI-CC) program. Her leadership and collaboration are crucial to our work to facilitate positive change in the clinical trial space. Learn more about EQBMED’s mission: https://eqbmed.org/ #hispanicheritagemonth #EQBMED

We’re excited to spotlight National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF) President and EQBMED Professional Society Leader and Executive Committee Member, Elena Rios, MD, MSPH, MAC this #HispanicHeritageMonth. In addition to Dr. Rios' significant contributions to public health and medical education, she’s empowered hundreds of Hispanic physician leaders through the NHHF’s Hispanic Physician Leadership Fellowship. With the support of leaders like Dr. Rios, EQBMED is creating a more accessible landscape in clinical trials – so that those who wish to participate have opportunities to do so. Learn more about EQBMED’s ecosystem: https://eqbmed.org/