TAMPA, Fla. — There is a big push to get minorities to participate in clinical trials, with Moffitt Cancer Center saying they are a group that continues to be underrepresented.

What You Need To Know

  • Moffitt was one of four centers across the nation to receive a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute

  • The ACT WONDER2S intervention study focuses on communities within Moffitt’s 23-county service area

  • Education and outreach efforts are also part of how Moffitt is helping reach more people for the clinical trials

  • A community education session was held on Wednesday at the Largo YMCA

The ACT WONDER2S study was created to help educate and create a more diverse pool of participants.

The study is led by Moffitt researchers Dr. Susan Vandaparampil, an Associate Center Director of Community Outreach, and Dr. Dana Rollison, the Chief Data Officer and Associate Center Director of Data Science.

Rollison says it is crucial to understand what these clinical trials are for.

“Deciding to participate in a trial is a balance of the cost and the benefits, and this is something that we need patients to really understand — both the benefits and the risks — so they can make the right decisions for themselves," Rollison said.

The study focuses on communities in 23 county areas. 

Clinical trials can be full of unknowns, so health educator Delilah Hernandez is aiming to make things clearer.

Several sessions are being held for people to learn more about clinical trials. (Spectrum Bay News 9/Lizbeth Gutierrez)

“We pass this out at the beginning of the session to get a better understanding of what the community already knows about clinical trials,” Hernandez said.

She is preparing to host a session on clinical trials, hoping to debunk some myths and share information with those participating.

Hernandez has hosted dozens of sessions already, including some in Spanish.

She says there are many benefits to taking part in a clinical trial.

“It leads to early detection of disease or recurrence, which may result in better health," she said.

Clinical trials also help to evaluate new medicine and medical techniques. Hernandez says one of her goals is to get more minorities participating.

James Smith is a cancer survivor who has been part of several clinical trials in the past.

"There’s always new updated information in this area and we were interested in finding out," he said.

Moffitt Cancer Center says having a diverse group of participants helps to ensure doctors are getting well-rounded information. They are looking for treatments to have a positive effect on patients like Smith.

“It’s nothing to be scared of or frightened of, but something that you would want to find out the information,” he said.

Community outreach is a big part of this program, and that is why they are also hosting more sessions throughout the year.

In addition to the educational sessions, Moffitt has also rolled out sessions for physicians, and set up a hotline to learn about clinical trials and access to educational models.