Why Authenticity and Patient Voice Are Critical When Driving Clinical Trial Diversity

LaToya Bolds-Johnson, Breast Cancer Survivor, Patient Advocate

LaToya Bolds-Johnson is a licensed, board-certified physician’s assistant with a specialty in emergency medicine. In 2021, she was diagnosed with Stage 3C Triple Negative Breast Cancer, and this diagnosis and events that followed made LaToya an advocacy champion.

She spreads awareness through her non-profit organization, The Tatas 365, which focuses on the importance of screening high-risk black women for breast cancer at earlier ages. She is also a fearless participant in a clinical trial, which leads her to advocate for the importance of more black women to participate in clinical research. She is a proud New Orleans native and lives with her family in Washington, DC.

Kevin Aniskovich, CEO, Jumo Health

Kevin Aniskovich is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Jumo Health, a global medical communications firm serving the pharmaceutical industry as they develop and market their clinical products. In this capacity, Kevin is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, playing primary roles in product development and market positioning.

A serial entrepreneur, Kevin’s career in health care started when his mother was diagnosed with a rare disease and faced a dearth of understandable information about her diagnosis and care. Kevin’s over 25 years of experience in health care has covered product, marketing, technology and sales at companies, including Great Blue Research, Share Care, Remedy Health Media, Intelecare, Epocrates and HealthInfo Corp.

Among other recognitions, Kevin was named one of PharmaVoice Magazine’s Top 100 Most Inspiring People in Life Sciences and most recently has led Jumo Health to be named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies for the last two consecutive years.

Tony Wafford, President & CEO, I Choose Life Foundation

Tony Wafford is President & CEO of I Choose Life Foundation (ICLF), an organization founded to address health inequities in the Black community. ICLF works in partnership with community-based organizations to educate them on health literacy, increase access to health care and health screenings. He has worked with powerful congressmen, the NAACP, CDC, revered doctors and more in creating this powerful network of people focused on the health and wellness of his community.

Gwenn Oakes, Director, Global Trial Optimization, Merck

Gwenn Oakes supports Merck’s feasibility planning and recruitment and retention on behalf of Global Clinical Trial Operations. Beginning her career in patient recruitment of pediatric clinical trials, she has a passion for ensuring patient access to clinical trial information.

Since 2013, Gwenn has supported the oncology portfolio at Merck through the creation and expansion of the Keynote Clinical Trial program and content and branding across Merck’s portfolio of clinical trials and Merck’s clinical trials website.

Michele Falk, Senior Manager, Patient Engagement & Recruitment Lead, Bristol Myers Squibb

Michele Falk currently serves as the Senior Manager, Patient Engagement & Recruitment Lead at Bristol Myers Squibb. In this role, Michele is a staunch advocate for the inclusion of diverse recruitment strategies in clinical trial development. By partnering with operations study leaders, she actively contributes to the creation and execution of indication/protocol-specific diversity plans.

Michele collaborates closely with enterprise colleagues to foster and maintain strong relationships with site and patient organizations. She works with these organizations to enhance awareness of and access to clinical trials and the drug development process. With a 20-year career dedicated to enhancing clinical trial recruitment and patient engagement, Michele continues to drive forward the mission of inclusive and effective clinical research.