When I joined the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) as the new Community Outreach Manager, I was drawn to the Agency’s dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Some DEI achievements include: Requiring plans for inclusion of diverse or underserved demographic groups in CIRM-funded clinical trials Providing valuable educational opportunities in regenerative medicine for … Continue reading Empowering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Week at the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference
diversity
Why diversity in clinical trials is essential
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) joins fellow advocates of clinical trial diversity in applauding a new law that will allow the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to require diverse representation in clinical trials. A clinical trial, as defined by the FDA, tests potential treatments in human volunteers to see whether they should … Continue reading Why diversity in clinical trials is essential
Dr. Deborah Deas and Ysabel Duron are recognized for their contributions to advancing public health
Dr. Deborah Deas Dr. Deborah Deas was elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, or NAM. Membership in the academy is one of the highest national honors in health and medicine. Deas' many honors Dr. Deas is the vice chancellor of health sciences and the Mark and Pam Rubin Dean of the … Continue reading Dr. Deborah Deas and Ysabel Duron are recognized for their contributions to advancing public health
Unlocking the secrets of autism
Dr. Alysson Muotri, in his lab at UCSD For Dr. Alysson Muotri, unlocking autism’s biology is personal. His son has autism, and Muotri hopes to help him and millions of others. A Mission to Understand Autism He launched the Tooth Fairy Project, which collected more than 3,000 donated baby teeth from children with and without … Continue reading Unlocking the secrets of autism
Why Diversity in Clinical Trials Matters
Asthma spacer, photo courtesy Wikimedia Common If researchers want to know whether a new therapy works, they need to test it in the people most affected by the disease. That sounds obvious. Yet too often, clinical trials fail to do just that. A recent example highlights the problem. Researchers tested a promising asthma medication called … Continue reading Why Diversity in Clinical Trials Matters
A New Model for Diversity in Scientific and Medical Research
Nature Cell Biology cover The global pandemic exposed deep inequities in our health care system and highlighted the need for more diversity in scientific and medical research. The virus hit communities of color the hardest. That in part prompted widespread calls for greater diversity at every level of research. New models for research A recently … Continue reading A New Model for Diversity in Scientific and Medical Research
Lack of diversity impacts research into Alzheimer’s and dementia
THIS BLOT IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY A National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases clinical trial admissions coordinator collects information from a volunteer to create a medical record. Credit: NIAID Alzheimer’s research has been in the news a lot lately, and not for the right reasons. The controversial decision by the … Continue reading Lack of diversity impacts research into Alzheimer’s and dementia
Physicians and patient advocates on the front lines of the fight for a more equitable health system
Over the last year there has been increasing awareness of the inequalities in the American healthcare system. At every level there is evidence of bias, discrimination and unequal access to the best care. Sometimes unequal access to any care. That is, hopefully, changing but only if the new awareness is matched with action. At the … Continue reading Physicians and patient advocates on the front lines of the fight for a more equitable health system
Timing is everything: could CRISPR gene editing push CIRM to change its rules on funding stem cell research?
Talk about timely. When we decided, several months ago, to hold a Standards Working Group (SWG) meeting to talk about the impact of CRISPR, a tool that is transforming the field of human gene editing, we had no idea that our meeting would fall smack in the midst of a flurry of news stories about … Continue reading Timing is everything: could CRISPR gene editing push CIRM to change its rules on funding stem cell research?