Clinical trial diversity has been a major topic of discussion for years, but it took the COVID-19 pandemic for the biopharma industry to fully realize how far behind it had fallen when it came to recruiting diverse populations into studies.
Since then, drug and vaccine makers have made a point of emphasizing their efforts to improve diversity in their studies.
But what will happen after the pandemic is over, and what form might efforts to increase diversity take beyond the US, where much of the attention on the issue has focused?
Presenters
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Almenia Garvey
Almenia is Senior Director for Site Networks at Accellacare, ICON’s global clinical research network offering patients easier and faster access to innovative treatments and offering customers the option to deploy decentralised trials. Almenia has over 25 years’ experience in clinical research and during this time she has had the opportunity to work on a number of projects combining healthcare and technology. She specialises in site selection strategy, investigator identification and investigator relationship management. Almenia has a passionate interest in driving diversity in all aspects of clinical trials. She has supported a number initiative’s to increase diversity in PIs, research sites, study staff and patient recruitment. She is on the board of Directors for Nvolve, a non-profit that focuses on preparing young women for STEM careers. Almenia holds a Bachelor’s of Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s of Science from Ulster University, in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland.