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Why I Founded EQ Trial Network

A Founder’s Story By Vidhisha Mulani

I started my career as a starry eyed graduate hungry to learn and optimistic. My first role was in cancer clinical research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, as a clinical research coordinator. While I was rewarded for my diligence and attention to detail, there was one thing that I felt was not being discussed enough. Why was there a missing gap in the data? Where were we missing out when it came to recruiting patients from Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island? Why were clinical trials only operating from Manhattan and were primarily recruiting patients from Upper East Side? What about patients from Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island? These questions led me to pursue multiple graduate degrees in clinical research and epidemiology from NYU and Columbia, secure rotations in clinical research at NYU Langone, Columbia University Irving Medical Centre, and consult with subject matter experts within multiple oncology divisions at Weill Cornell Medicine on starting their study from seed to scale.

I got to understand the nitty gritty of clinical trials, right from design, to funding considerations to regulatory blocks and the patient population being considered. I witnessed physicians explaining the risks and benefits of a clinical trial while looping in pre-existing patient navigators to provide culturally competent explanations. I saw patients want to take home the understanding of the risks and benefits of participating on the study and come back with a deeper understanding of their health.

Yet what was missing was that clinical trials were built to recruit as many patients as possible and not for patients who are left out due to social determinants of health such as medical insurance, transportation and income.

EQ Trial Network is not just about consulting and advisory. It’s a commitment to rebuild access to clinical research within communities in care deserts and ensure that no patient gets left behind. Progress is for all.

What We Do at EQ Trial Network?

We partner with academic medical centres, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, digital health start-ups. clinical research organizations, public health think tanks and patient advocacy organizations to design clinical trials with the understanding of social determinants of health and pluralism.

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Here is what we design for

  • Inclusion: Currently clinical trials are built for efficiency and not inclusivity. We help build study designs that factor in the lived experience of the patient.
  • Trial Readiness and Recruitment Strategy: We design with the understanding of the lived realities of patient population by the borough, by gaining a strong background on the social determinants of health, partnership with local community centers and a strong understanding of cultural competency.
  • Education and Training: Training for healthcare providers and clinical research professionals on the understanding of what social determinants of health are and how they impact certain patient populations in New York City.
  • Consulting and Advisory: We partner with Academic Medical Centres (AMCs), Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology corporations, Clinical Research Organizations (CROs), Public Health think tanks and local community centres.

Why Now?

Access to care in New York City is not for all. There are many patients who are left out of the study design.

Despite being a global health hub parts of Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island remain being care deserts due to:

  • Barriers: Patients face lack of access to public transport, lack of awareness of clinical trials, and lack of culturally competent care providers.
  • Seed to Scale: Clinical trials designs are often designed to deliver results, however they fail to retain study patients, continue to experience lack of funding and experience significant regulatory hurdles.

We envision a future where there is a strong understanding of social determinants of health and the investment into communities along with expanded access to clinical research in every borough.

Our Vision

We want to create a future where communities have access to clinical research, culturally competent health care providers and incentivize health outcomes.

We prioritize:

  • Clinical Trials designed for communities impacted within care deserts.
  • A workforce trained in emotional intelligence, culturally competent communication and evidence based outreach.
  • Expanded access to clinical trials where patients in every borough can benefit from participation on a clinical trial.
  • Consistency in a strong implementation of a system that improves social determinants of health for patient populations most significantly impacted.