Our mission as an Integrated Research Organization (IRO) is to diversify clinical trials by innovating healthcare for underrepresented populations while supporting the well-being of local communities. For this reason, we have developed an educational plan for the Ventura County community.
Why Diversity In Clinical Trials?
For us is essential that high-quality data is contributed to the scientific community to create better treatments. That is why we are committed to excellence in the high-quality management of clinical trials and in diversifying the clinical trial data of our Sponsors and CROs.
Our commitment to diversifying clinical trial data is crucial because one of the challenges in medical research is the lack of diversity in clinical trials. While there is now a more active spread of awareness on the importance of diversity in research studies, racial and ethnic minorities are still underrepresented. This issue also extends to other factors such as age, gender, location, social, economic, and lack of resources and infrastructures in underrepresented communities. Some barriers that also contribute to the lack of diversity are:
- Feelings of mistrust, fear, or discomfort with the clinical trials process
- Lack of information about clinical trials (i.e., their importance, how or where one can participate, how the process works)
- Belief in misconceptions or faulty information
- Constraints on participation- such as time, out-of-pocket expenses, travel, and other factors
- Impact of social determinants of health
- Hesitations or change of mind
About Our Educational Programs
It is imperative that we all work to include diverse populations within this industry. Without diversity, we are unable to fully understand the safety and effectiveness of potential treatments towards the general population.
That is why at FOMAT Medical, we are looking to partner with businesses and organizations that operate closely with large populations of the Ventura County community and offer free health management educational seminars. Our goal is to inform our community about serious health risks that correlate with our findings, educate them on ways to prevent these conditions from occurring, offer free diagnostic tests (if applicable), and offer potential alternative solutions.
We also attend different fairs and events throughout Ventura Country. At these events, we set up small booths and give health information that informs and educates people about the importance of health care. By attending these events throughout the county- and creating educational programs that provide reliable information to the community- we hope to reach out to underrepresented communities and encourage them to participate in clinical trials (bringing more diversity within the medical research industry).
For more information related to our Outreach Programs, Educational Programs Read More
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