Christopher Gantz, Building Trust and minority enrollment in clinical trials at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia

“Our research population should match our community population.” That’s one of the takeaways from Christopher Gantz’s interview with WCG President of Patient Advocacy Steve Smith. He describes several programs that help connect researchers with minority communities to increase engagement and access enrollment in clinical trials. Gantz is senior director of the Regional Liaison Office at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC) at Thomas Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. 

Since 2005, he has worked on multiple clinical trials projects with recruitment goals ranging from 500 to 10,000 participants. He describes establishing an “honest broker network” and engagement of resources within the hospital and within the community to ease communication, build trust and facilitate trial enrollment. He also discusses some of SKCC’s language and cultural resources as well as its outreach into area schools.

Listen to learn how SKCC’s success offers a model for other organizations to transform clinical trials. “We have so many resources and so many opportunities to engage with people. I think if we're smart about it and really thoughtful in how we do it and create these longstanding relationships, it really will create a change.”