MyVitiligoTeam: Patient Education on Clinical Trials
MyHealthTeams
Christian Pran, EVP, Partnerships
christian@myhealthteams.com
Fewer than 5% of people with a chronic condition participate in clinical trials. This is because they do not understand, trust, nor hear about trials. The key to unlocking the right opportunities for the right participants is patient education.
Clinical trials are a hot topic of conversation across MyHealthTeams’ 41 condition-specific social networks. A patient’s decision to participate in a clinical trial depends on understanding how trials work, how to find the right opportunities, how to gauge results, what happens if the treatment doesn’t work, and more.
With so much research happening in vitiligo, MyHealthTeams embarked on an effort to help answer these questions for members of MyVitiligoTeam, its social network for people diagnosed with vitiligo. In partnership with the Global Vitiligo Foundation (GVF), MyHealthTeams hosted a live, virtual event that featured GVF president Dr. Amit Pandya, a key opinion leader in vitiligo, who recruited a panel of industry leaders from AbbVie, Avita, Incyte, and the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN). The discussion also included two people living with vitiligo who had participated in a clinical trial previously.
Each panelist had five minutes to present their trials and answer questions from Dr. Pandya as well as pre-submitted questions from members of MyVitiligoTeam. The panelists showed published results of trials and explained safety protocols. They also talked about how participating in the trials might impact day-to-day life.
Over 100 people registered for the 90-minute event. Those unable to attend the live event can now view the session on-demand. The response was positive. Attendees appreciated the collaborative conversation and asked for a follow-up. Partners in other disease states are interested in replicating this approach for other patient populations.
