The Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) today recognizes Velocity Clinical Research as a Breakaway Sponsor of the ACRP Ride for Diversity.
The ACRP Ride for Diversity – a road trip for a reason – is a nonprofit fundraiser supporting ACRP initiatives to develop a diverse and research-ready clinical research workforce.
“Research shows that the more diverse the clinical trial workforce, the more diverse clinical trial participation,” says Susan Landis, ACRP Executive Director. “Clinical studies need to reflect our real-world population—and a more diverse clinical research staff is an important way to make this change happen. We are incredibly thankful for Velocity Clinical Research’s support.”
Dr Paul Evans, CEO and President of Velocity Clinical Research, said: “The issue of diversity in clinical research, both from a personnel and patient recruitment point of view, was brought to the fore during the COVID pandemic and subsequent race to find a vaccine—and rightly so.
“Our industry must do better at recruiting volunteers and hiring people from minority communities so they are more accurately represented in clinical research and feel comfortable working in this sector. It will take myriad solutions to achieve this and supporting causes like the ACRP Ride for Diversity is one way to raise awareness of the issue to affect change.”
Last year more than 100 sponsors came together to fund the first-ever ACRP Ride for Diversity, a 350-mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC. All donations are allocated for scholarships and programs supporting the growth and development of people of color working in clinical research.
“It is important that ACRP take a stance in today’s society to push organization conducting clinical trials to diversify their workforce because it’s good for science, but more importantly it’s good for mankind,” says Sergio Armani, Vice President, Business Development, North America, Advarra, who is spearheading the ACRP Ride for Diversity with Rick Fisher, Senior Director of Operations, Velocity Clinical Research.
“Diversity in clinical trials is more important than ever as we grow and work together as a society to break down barriers that have held us back for decades,” Fisher adds. “In clinical research, we need to make sure we have greater diversity in the workforce – the clinicians, nurses, and research staff who are face-to-face with potential patients – to fully realize our potential and to safely and ethically deliver new treatments to those in need.”
For more information about the ACRP Ride for Diversity, please visit us online at acrpnet.org/ride.
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About Velocity Clinical Research
Velocity Clinical Research, headquartered in Durham, NC, is the world’s largest fully integrated site organization for clinical trials, offering dedicated site capabilities to help biopharmaceutical and contract research organization customers find the right patients for their studies. Velocity supports global drug development in primarily conducting phase II and phase III clinical trials. The company has 30 U.S. locations across 14 states.
We place the care of the patient at the heart of everything we do. With over 35 years of experience running sites and more than 7,000 studies completed, Velocity has refined its patient recruitment strategies while maintaining a focus on delivering timely and reliable data quality. For more information visit our website at https://velocityclinical.com.
