On Tuesday, June 9 CISCRP will hold the first international AWARE for All program in London, UK at the Camden Centre in collaboration with EMD Serono/Merck Serono, and the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI). This exciting announcement signals CISCRP’s expanding involvement in providing live education and outreach to patients and the public throughout the world.
“When we started CISCRP more than ten years ago, we envisioned ourselves as a global organization,” explains Founder and Board Chair, Ken Getz. “At that time however, we felt it was most feasible to begin by launching and refining our educational programs and initiatives in North America.”
During the past three years, as the patient centricity movement has picked up momentum worldwide, CISCRP has received much stronger demand to expand its presence in Europe. Until now, much of our growing presence in Europe has been associated with the dissemination of patient education materials through research centers, conducting surveys among global patient communities and the public, and the translation and distribution of lay language clinical trial results summaries to study volunteers in Europe. Merck Serono has been instrumental in spearheading the first live AWARE event in Europe.
“CISCRP’s AWARE for All program is a wonderful opportunity for patients and the wider public to get access to in depth information about the clinical development process. It also provides an opportunity to hear first-hand the personal insights of those who have volunteered to participate in clinical trials,” said Tanja Keiper, Associate Director, Global Clinical Operations, External Innovation for Merck Serono.
“ We’re very pleased to support CISCRP in its endeavor to bring this very powerful concept which is highly respected in the US now to Europe. We strongly believe that the AWARE for All Event in London 2015 will provide an invaluable educational opportunity about the clinical trials process to those in attendance,” added Keiper.
The program will include informational exhibits from patient advocacy groups, health organizations, research centers, and hospitals. Attendees will have the opportunity to receive free health screenings. A prominent local speaker will present on “What Clinical Research Means to You,” and a panel of researchers and physicians will speak about research topics of interest to the community. A panel of study volunteers will share their actual experiences in clinical trials.
“The AWARE for All programme can help patients, their relatives and the general public to understand what clinical research is all about”, says Jan Geissler, Director of the European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI). “It not only allows to dip into what is going on at the forefront of medical research, but also hear about first-hand experience from patients who participated in clinical studies.”
“This inaugural London event is only the beginning,” adds Ellyn Getz, Project Manager of AWARE for All. “With the help of incredible partnerships, we are working to improve public trust and create a global community of active and informed participants in the clinical research process.”
Registration is now open for AWARE for All– London, UK. For more information and questions, please email awareforall@ciscrp.org.
AWARE-for-All Collaborative Partners in London include:
- Academy of Physicians in Clinical Research
- Association of Clinical Research Professionals
- Clinical Research Services Mannheim
- DrugDev
- EMD Serono/Merck Serono
- European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI).
- European Patients Forum
- iCAN/KIDS, Leukemia Care UK
- Melanoma UK
- Myeloma Patients Europe
- National Institute for Health Research