NMA and AstraZeneca partner on clinical trial education

The USA's National Medical Association has announced a new partnership with AstraZeneca to enhance its program to educate and train African American physicians about the clinical trial process and to encourage participation.

Currently, African American physicians are under-represented as clinical trial investigators. Increasing the number that participate as principal investigators in clinical trials is significant because they are more likely to treat African American patients and can provide valuable insights into cultural and biological nuances. "The inadequate representation of minority physicians engaged in clinical research impacts the quality of medical care provided to our racially and ethnically diverse patient population," said Albert Morris, president of the NMA. "It is imperative that we elevate the level of knowledge of clinical research in our communities and achieve greater participation of minorities in clinical trials if we are to improve the quality of care provided to our patients. This is why the National Medical Association has partnered with AstraZeneca to strengthen and support initiatives such as Project IMPACT (Increase Minority Participation and Awareness of Clinical Trials)," he added.

The NMA says its partnership with AstraZeneca - which includes a significant grant from the company to be distributed over a five-year period - will expand the reach and depth of Project IMPACT, a program that is focused on increasing involvement of minority physicians and their patients in the clinical research process. Specifically, Project IMPACT has established a database of over 500 African American physicians interested in clinical research. It has also conducted over 33 educational training sessions for African American physicians, and has developed and disseminated over 30,000 pieces of culturally sensitive educational material to consumers.