Webinars & Videos
Tackling autoimmune diseases and conditions is dependent on understanding genetic and environmental mechanisms of disease and identifying treatments and interventions that work for everyone, regardless of sex, gender, race, or ethnicity. Therefore, recruiting and retaining a diversity of patient populations within clinical trials is essential. Yet, it is well-documented that certain populations — including women and racial and ethnic minority populations — have historically been underrepresented in clinical trials. While problematic in and of itself, underrepresentation can be particularly problematic for clinical trials for autoimmune diseases and conditions, which disproportionately affect women and specific racial groups.
During this SWHR Instagram Live event, experts discussed why clinical trial representation is critical for improving outcomes and where they see the greatest issues in trial participation.
Check out the full SWHR 2023 Autoimmune Policy series:
View the original event page here: Diversity in Autoimmune Clinical Trials: Addressing Areas of Need and Opportunity.
Stacie is a dynamic leader and researcher with 25+ years of diverse experience in biotechnology, academic, nonprofit and pharma in discovery research, drug and device development, scientific strategy, education and patient centricity with a cross functional focus on clinical development and medical affairs. She has been involved with all phases and functional lines of the pre-clinical research and clinical development process in several therapeutic areas, including infectious diseases, immunology, rheumatology, dermatology, and has worked extensively with the FDA, NIH and NHC. She served as the lead of a COVID-19 task force during the pandemic. Stacie has served in several leadership roles including Chief Scientific & Medical Officer for the National Psoriasis Foundation, on numerous boards and committees and has been the therapeutic area representative and program lead for her organizations. She has also consulted for late-stage discovery and clinical development programs in a variety of settings. Stacie received her doctorate in biochemistry from Vanderbilt University and has secondary training in Clinical Pharmacology and Research. Throughout her career she has been dedicated to optimizing treatment options for unmet needs, promoting education, improving access to care, fostering partnership to progress programs and taking innovative approaches for program strategy.
Dr. Jessica Williams is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Williams practices at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, where she staffs the Grady Lupus Clinic, Grady General Rheumatology Clinic, and inpatient rheumatology consults while supervising and teaching Emory rheumatology fellows. She is passionate about clinical research to advance care for patients living with lupus, focusing on diverse and underserved patient populations. She is currently funded through the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Career Development Award to study clinical trial perceptions and barriers among a large population-based cohort of predominantly Black patients with lupus. Her recent publications have focused on increasing diversity in lupus clinical trials, racial disparities in contraception care among reproductive-age women with lupus, and the use of an integrated care management program to uncover social determinants of health needs among patients with lupus. Dr. Williams is a native of Auburn, Alabama and a graduate of Auburn University (BS, 2010), Emory University School of Medicine (MD, 2015), Emory University Rollins School of Public Health (MPH in Epidemiology, 2015), Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital Internal Medicine Residency (2018), and Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital Rheumatology Fellowship (2021).
Dr. Niti Goel is a board-certified rheumatologist. She is a Senior Vice President, Therapeutic Head of Rheumatology at TrialSpark and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. She is also a patient research partner in the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) and Outcomes in Rheumatology (OMERACT). She is active in academic and industry efforts to develop treatments for the treatment of musculoskeletal and autoimmune conditions. Her academic, industry, and patient research partner roles allow her to participate holistically in research and academic endeavors, including teaching young rheumatology trainees in caring for people with rheumatologic conditions, and to ensure those endeavors are not only patient‑centered but also address diversity, equity, and inclusion. Dr. Goel received her MD from Jefferson Medical College and completed her training in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center.
SWHR’s Autoimmune Policy Program is supported by an educational sponsorship from Horizon Therapeutics. SWHR maintains independence and editorial control over program development, content, and work products.