Participant Newsletter

March 2008, Volume 5 Issue 2

New PSAs Put "Medical Heroes" On National TV

Book Cover

The people who participate in clinical research are sometimes called the “unsung heroes” of medical science. A new CISCRP national television campaign is about to turn these “unsung heroes” into much-admired ”Medical Heroes” starting in the second half of 2008.

It is a much-needed step towards reshaping public opinion about clinical research and the participant’s role in it. Although some 2.5 million Americans enroll in clinical research projects each year, a recent CISCRP/ODC survey found that people who raise money for charity by running in a race are believed to make a greater contribution to mankind than clinical research participants.

Furthermore, while the overwhelming majority of respondents said they admire organ and blood donors “a great deal,” the new survey found that less than 30 percent of respondents expressed similar feelings about the people who volunteer for clinical trials.

In an effort to raise awareness of the participant’s important contributions to public health, CISCRP’s new outreach campaign portrays clinical research volunteers as “Medical Heroes” who help save lives and advance medical science. The TV public service announcements (PSAs) use people in commonplace situations in coffee shops, taxicabs and luncheonettes to depict typical clinical research volunteers and convey the message that “Medical Heroes” can be found in everyday places. The new PSAs join the existing “Medical Heroes” PSAs created previously for use in print, radio and online media.

The new PSAs were developed with pro bono assistance from Ogilvy Healthworld, a division of the acclaimed international advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather. Clinical Trial Media, an agency that specializes in media placement for patient recruitment, gave pro bono assistance in creation of the media plan. Using a mix of television, radio and print media, the “Medical Heroes” campaign is expected to reach a wide audience of viewers, listeners and readers, and achieve over 120 million impressions per quarter.

CISCRP currently is seeking sponsorships from pharmaceutical companies, clinical research organizations, disease advocacy groups, hospitals, community health centers, academic medical centers and other supporters to underwrite the campaign’s first-year costs. Some $1 million is needed to achieve the goal.

To find out more about the “Medical Heroes” campaign, visit www.medicalheroes.org, email info@ciscrp.org, or phone Toll Free: 1-888-CISCRP3 (247-2773).

To view other articles in this issue, click here.

This web site is run by CISCRP, a non-profit organization focused on educating and informing the public about clinical research participation. CISCRP is not involved in recruiting patients for clinical trials nor is it involved in conducting clinical trials.