Oxnard Chamber of Commerce Award Goes to FOMAT for Innovation in 2020
The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce award for Innovative Business of the Year was presented to FOMAT at the 70th Annual Community and Business Awards ceremony on October 8, 2020. The recognition reflects the work FOMAT carried out during one of the most challenging years in recent public health history, when its team mobilized to support COVID-19 clinical trials while continuing to serve the broader Oxnard community.
A Year of Extraordinary Effort
When the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, FOMAT was already positioned as a member of HyperCORE International — a network of leading clinical research sites selected to participate in trials aimed at finding treatments and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. From its headquarters in Oxnard, the team worked across multiple active studies while simultaneously offering the local community free COVID-19 testing.
The decision to open testing to the public was driven by more than operational capacity. It reflected a commitment to community access and to ensuring that underrepresented populations — who are often excluded from clinical research — had a direct connection to the science being conducted on their behalf.
“I could not be more proud of my team, especially with what a rollercoaster of a year this has been,” said Nicholas Focil, CEO of FOMAT. “One of the most important things that this pandemic has brought to our attention is the importance of trusting one another and working as a team to ensure success in everything we do. Here is a unified team with one goal, one mission: to help bring society back to normal.”
Why Diversity in Clinical Trials Matters
A central element of FOMAT’s work during the pandemic — and a factor the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce recognized — was its focus on minority inclusion in clinical trial enrollment. Focil has consistently emphasized that diverse participation in trials is not a checkbox requirement but a scientific necessity. When trial populations reflect real world demographics, the resulting data produces treatments that work across the full spectrum of patients. Receiving the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce award placed FOMAT among the most recognized businesses in the region for that year.
This principle runs through everything FOMAT does. As an Embedded Research Organization with over a decade of experience conducting Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials across a wide range of therapeutic areas, FOMAT has built its site network with diversity as a core operational value.
About the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce
The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce award is presented annually by an organization that has advocated for business growth and economic development in the community since its founding in 1908. The Oxnard Chamber of Commerce has served as the primary advocate for business growth and economic development in the Oxnard community since its founding in 1908. Today it represents more than 500 enterprises and organizations that collectively employ over 30,000 people. The Chamber’s annual Community and Business Awards recognize companies that demonstrate leadership, innovation, and meaningful contribution to the local economy and community.
Receiving the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce award placed FOMAT alongside a distinguished group of businesses recognized for going beyond their core operations to make a measurable difference in the region.
FOMAT’s Ongoing Commitment to Clinical Research
The 2020 award marked a moment of recognition, but the work it honored has continued. FOMAT operates a growing network of investigator sites across the United States, supporting sponsors and CROs in bringing new therapies to patients across multiple therapeutic areas including infectious disease, oncology, ophthalmology, nephrology, and more.
To learn more about FOMAT’s clinical trial capabilities or to explore active studies currently enrolling participants, visit fomatmedical.com.
About FOMAT Medical Research:
FOMAT Medical Research is an Embedded Research Organization (ERO), or also known as a Site Management Organization (SMO), focused on innovating healthcare throughout the Americas. With over 10 years of experience in participating in Phase 1 through Phase 4 clinical trials in a wide variety of therapeutic areas, we rely on a highly experienced clinical research team that has the professional expertise necessary to assist Sponsors and Contract Research Organizations (CRO) with reaching their project goals quickly and effectively.
Our mission is to diversify clinical trials throughout the Americas and innovating healthcare for underrepresented populations while ensuring that we uphold Good Clinical Practice standards and ethics are upheld. We find itIt is essential that high-quality data is contributed to the scientific community to create better treatments.
