Increasing Diversity & Equity in CTs
Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care Received $652,000 over 3 years from Becton, Dickinson (BD), to use to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in cancer clinical trials.
The grant will help fund Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) interventions that will increase access to clinical trials and leading edge healthcare opportunities for underrepresented patient populations, including racial and ethnic minority groups.
In August 2021, the Valley Health System https://www.valleyhealth.com was selected as one of 75 research sites nationwide to participate in a pilot project launched in collaboration between the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) which focused on increasing racial and ethnic diversity in cancer clinical trial participants.
As a participating research site, Valley Health conducted a site self-assessment to identify any policies, procedures, or programs that may affect which patients are screened for and offered a clinical trial. Research and care team members also underwent implicit bias training to acknowledge and mitigate bias that might affect which patients are offered clinical trials.
Then Valley drafted the “Oncology Program Clinical Trial Diversity Initiative”, which includes several internal interventions that when acted upon, will enhance clinical trial recruitment and ensure that underrepresented groups are included in cancer clinical trials.
The Oncology Program Clinical Trial Diversity Initiative is slated to roll out over the next five years.