EmVenio prioritizes inclusion in clinical research with new patient-centric model

Startup to enhance health equity with mobile sites across United States

DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to maximize diversity, equity and inclusion in clinical research, EmVenio Research activated 10 community research sites among diverse populations across the United States. This concerted effort marks the value EmVenio's services provide as an innovative, sustainable solution for delivering trial access to diverse and economically underserved communities. The organization's approach focuses on localizing clinical trials, specifically with mobile community research sites in locations varying between densely populated urban areas, suburban neighborhoods and rural regions.

"Recruitment and retention in clinical research are major challenges for both participants and study sponsors," said Thad Wolfram, EmVenio president. "Various barriers have resulted in a collection of research participants that do not accurately reflect our population as a whole. EmVenio's approach puts patients at the center of research by giving them the choice of when and where their participation will occur. Our mobile research sites will reduce the burdens of trial participation, address sponsors' DEI goals by providing higher diversity and inclusion rates, and ultimately rebuild the fading trust in health care research within these communities by providing the option of clinical trial participation and allowing patients to participate on their own terms."

Wolfram and other EmVenio leaders launched the organization to fulfill their mission to bring rapid and scalable clinical trials directly to diverse populations. The burdens of participation and retention in the past often led to delayed results for clinical trials. To ease convenience for participants, EmVenio sites are placed strategically in communities and allow research to be conducted with more flexibility and efficiency. Furthermore, community research sites can activate with a fully trained clinician staff in under four weeks.

Results from the traditional model for clinical research often did not reflect the demographic makeup of the population. The 2020 U.S. census reported that Black populations represent 13.6% of the United States, while the Food and Drug Administration reported only 5% of Black participants in clinical trials. The disparity is greater among people of Hispanic or Latino origin, representing 18.1% of the nation's population but only 1% of research participants.

Over the course of several months, all 10 mobile sites will conduct a study on treatment for healthy adults with COVID-19, as well as additional studies specific to the respective community's health trends and current needs. Each site is staffed with a nurse practitioner, registered nurse and fleet coordinator with opportunity for more staff depending on a location's demand.

"EmVenio is a long-term solution for communities with the flexibility to serve the population's specific needs," Wolfram said. "We mindfully implant our mobile sites in a localized way by adapting to the language, culture and traditions of the communities that we're in. By doing so, we can run a truly global research program with local representation in the foreground."

EmVenio's 10 current mobile sites are stationed in:

• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Birmingham, Alabama
• Chicago, Illinois
• Claremont, California
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Little Rock, Arkansas
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Orlando, Florida
• Tempe, Arizona

About EmVenio Research
EmVenio Research provides rapid and scalable decentralized trial solutions to better reach and recruit diverse, underserved and high-risk communities. EmVenio Research's global network of skilled clinicians, virtual principal investigators and state-of-the-art mobile health clinics enable us to provide robust care services via home visits, on-site support at medical facilities, virtual visits and mobile sites. Visit emvenio.com to learn more.

SOURCE EmVenio