Participant Newsletter

March 2008, Volume 5 Issue 2

Aware for All Philadelphia Puts Focus on Participation

Writer, lecturer and radio commentator Glenn Ellis, Sr., has devoted his career to eliminating healthcare disparities and increasing understanding of issues in health. So when CISCRP invited Ellis to be the keynote speaker at the 2nd Aware for All Philadelphia Conference, the Strategies for Well-Being, LLC, president eagerly accepted.

The one-day program will provide a forum for examining the role of the clinical research volunteer and answering questions about clinical research participation. For Ellis, an advocate for increased minority representation in clinical trials, the conference also will draw attention to the who, what, where, when, how, and why of clinical research.

“More people need to understand what clinical trials are so they have enough information to make an informed decision about participation.”

Keynote speaker Glenn Ellis, Sr.

“As I see it, this represents an opportunity to broaden the discussion about clinical trials and to give more depth and breadth to the notion of what clinical trials are,” says Ellis, an institutional review board (IRB) member at Mercy Health System and Thomas Jefferson University. “More people need to understand what clinical trials are so they have enough information to make an informed decision about participation.”

Thomas Jefferson University researcher J. Bruce Smith, MD, CIP, agrees. Smith, who spoke at the first Aware for All Philadelphia in 2006, calls the upcoming conference, “an education for the public about what clinical research is what it can mean, and how it has advanced medical knowledge.” “I think the more education people have about clinical research, the more likely they are to become involved and remain involved in a research study,” the Jefferson Division of Human Subjects Protection director advises.

With U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter serving as Honorary Co-Chairs, and a team of co-sponsors that includes CISCRP in collaboration with Jefferson, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Drexel University, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania, the Aware for All roster of speakers and supporters reads like a who’s who of prominent political and healthcare professionals. A panel of patient participants will share their personal stories with clinical research, and a series of free educational workshops will look at clinical research studies on cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, pediatrics, and cardiovascular disease, and explore the roles of women and minorities in clinical research. Free health screenings and informational exhibits will round out the day.

Ellis, whose belief in the importance of being an educated healthcare consumer is closely aligned with CISCRP’s mission, sees Aware for All as a way to increase public knowledge about clinical research participation.

“I know people who interview hairdressers and mechanics before they choose the person who’s going to do their hair or fix their cars,” Ellis explains. “I say, you have to apply the same kind of diligence to your body and your health. That is the reason I decided to participate in Aware for All and lend my voice to the conversation. I see it as an opportunity to improve the ability of people to make informed decisions about clinical trials.”

Aware for All Philadelphia will be held in Thomas Jefferson University’s Dorrance H. Hamilton Building on Saturday, April 12, from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. For more information or to register, go to www.awareforall.org/philadelphia, email aware@ciscrp.org, or phone 781-326-3400 or 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.