Princeton, NJ, September 6, 2022 – WCG, the world’s leading provider of solutions that measurably improve the quality and efficiency of clinical research, today announced that Lori Abrams, Vice President, Patient Advocacy and Clinical Research Diversity, has been named a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion in the PharmaVoice 100 Class of 2022.
“Lori has been a passionate patient advocate, determined to improve healthcare for underserved communities and marginalized individuals since the early days of the AIDS crisis,” said WCG Chief Executive Officer Sam Srivastava. “Her compassion, leadership, and can-do attitude have made her a constant source of inspiration and a popular mentor for her colleagues.”
“I am delighted and humbled to have been selected as a PharmaVoice 100 honoree. This award recognizes not just my efforts, but also the tireless dedication of our team which is devoted to building trust in local communities and breaking down barriers so that all patients have an equal opportunity to get the high-quality healthcare they need and deserve,” said Abrams.
Abrams’ impact has been felt throughout her career beginning with her work with the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. There she helped develop drug candidates to treat HIV/AIDS and later managed clinical trials for HIV/AIDS treatments in the U.S. military. Her lobbying efforts gained an additional $32 million per year in funding. She has received personal recognition as a delegate to the White House Conference on HIV/AIDS and an Advocacy Award from Congresswoman Constance Morella. Abrams later joined Bristol-Myers Squib (BMS) where she built one of the pharmaceutical industry’s earliest clinical trial advocacy and diversity groups as BMS’ first director of Diversity & Patient Engagement.
In her current role at WCG, Abrams helps underserved minority patients overcome barriers to access clinical trials. Abrams and her team bring together clinical research organizations (CROs), healthcare providers, researchers, diverse patient populations, and community representatives to design and execute clinical trials. They help to structure the dialog and identify opportunities where the research team can work with the patients and care providers to train investigators, mitigate community-related issues, develop study-related materials, and assist in social media outreach. By making clinical trials more inclusive, Abrams’ team helps to ensure that new drugs and devices are safe and effective for all patient populations who may want to use them.
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