Leaders Highlight Effort to Expand Access and Trust in Clinical Trials Across the U.S.

Mark White | The Mark White Show

Richmond, Virginia - Participation in clinical trials plays a critical role in determining how new medical treatments are developed, tested, and made available to patients. Yet many communities, particularly rural and underserved populations, remain underrepresented in clinical research. Two national leaders say changing that reality is essential to improving health outcomes for everyone.

Dr. Robert A. Winn, Director of the Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, and Catharine Grimes, President of the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, recently joined The Mark White Show to discuss efforts underway to expand access, rebuild trust, and strengthen participation in clinical trials nationwide.

Dr. Winn emphasized that clinical trials are often misunderstood as experimental when, in reality, they represent hope for patients who have exhausted standard treatment options.

“When patients have received the best possible standard of care and have no remaining options, clinical trials become the next step,” Winn said. “They are designed to give patients access to promising therapies that can improve and save lives.”

He pointed to significant progress already made through research, noting that cancer death rates in the United States have dropped by approximately 36 percent since 1991, a decline he attributes in part to advancements driven by clinical trials. Winn believes even greater progress is possible with broader participation.

“Clinical trials improve lives. They save lives,” he said. “If we’ve achieved a 36 percent reduction, there is no reason we can’t push that further with more inclusive research.”

Grimes added that expanding participation is also essential for strengthening the science behind new treatments.

“Too often, the patients most affected by certain diseases are left out of the trials designed to treat them,” she said. “When trials only include narrow or homogeneous populations, we miss critical information about how treatments work across different groups.”

To address these gaps, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation launched the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award Program in 2020 with a $100 million commitment. The program is implemented through VCU’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and focuses on training early-career physician researchers to design and conduct inclusive, community-engaged clinical studies.

The program’s Career Development Award provides a two-year training and mentorship experience that emphasizes both scientific rigor and the science of community engagement. More than 300 physicians have participated to date, either as graduates or current trainees.

Dr. Winn said the program’s success lies in its focus on trust and presence.

“Trust is built by being visible, authentic, and consistent in communities,” he explained. “Our trainees learn that engagement is not a one-time visit. It’s about showing up, following up, and listening.”

Early results suggest the approach is working. Grimes said clinical trials led by program scholars show significantly higher representation of populations affected by the diseases being studied compared to industry norms.

“We are seeing real change in how trials are designed and who they include,” she said. “That means treatments are being tested more thoroughly and safely for everyone who may need them.”

Winn shared an example of a physician who returned to his hometown, an area previously without access to clinical trials, and successfully enrolled more than 50 patients in studies within a single year.

“That’s not just data,” Winn said. “That’s hope for real people in communities that have long been overlooked.”

Both leaders stressed that inclusive trials are essential for developing treatments that work effectively across diverse populations, including differences related to geography, gender, and background.

“We often assume a medication works the same for everyone,” Winn said. “But we know that’s not always true. Inclusive trials move us closer to precision, person-based medicine.”

For families who may feel intimidated by clinical trials, Winn urged a shift in perspective.

“Clinical trials are not about experimentation,” he said. “They are about offering patients hope when standard options are exhausted, and that hope should be available to everyone, not just those living near major medical centers.”

More information about the Winn Awards program, including current and upcoming application opportunities, is available at winnawards.org.

As clinical research continues to shape the future of healthcare, both Winn and Grimes agree that ensuring all communities are represented is not just good science. It is a moral imperative.