A DRIVE for Inclusion and Diversity

First introduced in 2022 and more relevant since the current clinical research trials frequently do not enroll minorities of color, including African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanic Americans. Therefore, we continue evaluating ongoing clinical research, and emerging data in hematologic malignancies and non-malignant conditions, and it is still very clear that we as providers have failed to ensure that data generated for efficacy and of adverse reactions are applicable to certain populations that we treat, even in diseases that disproportionately affect minorities. For example, Multiple myeloma occurs in 20% of African Americans yet current major studies have less than 5% enrollment of African American, African, or black participants. We still see glaring examples in the evaluation of the safety of agents for cardiovascular risks, hypertension, and diabetes, disorders that disproportionally affect persons of color who frequently are not included in these studies. The net effect of these examples is a mistrust of the “medical establishment”, therefore, when a lifesaving treatment is developed it is viewed with suspicion and rejected or not embraced by persons of color who certainly have been significantly affected and we all wonder: WHY? We are working to change this and answer this question.

D.R.I.V.E. INITIATIVE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2024
WESTIN INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANAPOLIS, IN

11:35 am – 12:50 pm Breakout Sessions

00:00

A DRIVE TO ACTION

AGENDA

6:45 AM – 7:15 AM	Registration/Continental Breakfast
7:15 AM – 7:35 AM	Welcome and Promoting Clinical Research Diversity: DRIVEing BEYOND The Indianapolis Black Paper \| Ruemu E. Birhiray, MD
7:35 AM – 8:05 AM	Promoting DEIA in Oncology Clinical Oncology Research: The Role of Major Medical Societies \| Sanford Jeames, DHA
8:05 AM – 8:35 AM	FDORA – How to Wear a FDORA: Implications for Today’s Clinical Researchers and the Pharmaceutical Industry \| Nicole Gormley, MD
8:35 AM – 9:05 AM	A Clinical Investigator’s Approach to Promoting DEIA in Oncology Clinical Research \| Karen Winkfield, MD, PhD
9:05 AM – 9:15 AM	BREAK
9:15 AM – 9:20 AM	Five Simple Steps \| Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, PhD
9:20 AM – 9:50 AM	How We do It: BEYOND TALK: Improving Accrual of Minorities to Clinical Trials Kenneth Anderson, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Jerome Lipper, Multiple Myeloma Center, (Boston, MA) Ayalew Tefferi, MD, Mayo Clinic, (Rochester, MN) Matthew Lunning, DO, FACP, University of Nebraska Medical Center
9:50 AM – 10:05 AM	Advocating Alongside and Not Just About: Community Outreach and Engagement \| Audrey Davis, CSC’s Health Equity Director
10:05 AM – 10:20 AM	Educating Minority Populations: The Alliance of Community Organizations and Medicine \| Rev. Brian Shobe
10:20 AM – 10:35 AM	Bringing a Drug to Market: The Ethics of Drug Development from the Perspective of the Pharmaceutical Industry \| Tyrone Brewer
10:35 AM – 10:50 AM	DRIVEing the Next Generation of Medical Researchers Maya N. Birhiray, BS, MS, Indy Hematology Education, Inc. Sam Ranger, BS, MS, Indy Hematology Education, Inc.
10:50 AM – 11:25 AM	DRIVE KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: Leave No Patient Behind: Our Collective Responsibility in Clinical Data Generation and Application \| Robin Zon, MD, FASCO, 2023 President-Elect American Society of Clinical Oncology
11:25 AM – 11:35 AM	ACHIEVING OUR COMMON GOALS TOGETHER: Creating Economic Growth and Diversity in Cancer Research \| Edrice Simmons
11:35 AM – 12:50 PM	Lunch: DRIVE Break-Out Sessions CHAIRPERSON: Muzaffar Qazilbash, MD – Diversity Officer Yogesh Jetheva, MD, FACP – Ranking Richard Stone, MD, IO – Individual Rafat Abonour, MD – Verification Coleman Obasaju, MD – Elevate
12:50 PM – 1:05 PM	CONSENSUS \| Andrew Hantel, MD
1:05 PM – 1:10 PM	Closing Remarks \| Ruemu E. Birhiray, MD

Thanks to our Sponsors for their support

D.R.I.V.E.

D:

All clinical trials must include a Diversity Officer who is tasked just like a DSMB in safety to ensure a diversity plan is established, maintained, and modified during the course of each study to meet its accrual goals of inclusion and diversity.

R:

Create a Ranking System for measuring the relative diversity of enrolled subjects in a clinical trial that are published with each trial.

I:

Create an Individual/Personal diversity plan to ensure minority patients are enrolled or participating in clinical research.

V:

Verify and ensure that podium presentations at major conferences are preferentially given to clinical trials meeting diversity goals.

E:

Elevate, train, and recruit minority investigators to participate in all clinical trials.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER

ABOUT THE EVENT

IHE Juneteenth Conversation with Dr. Alex Herrera

CEO Dr. Ruemu Birhiray invites Dr. Alex Herrera, Associate Professor of Oncology at City of Hope--Duarte, California for a Juneteenth conversation on minority enrollment in clinical trials and review the recently presented (Plenary Session ASCO 2023) SWOG 1836 Hodgkin's Lymphoma trial with 25% minority enrollment.

22nd Annual Indy Hematology ReviewTM