Bridge Clinical Research Hosted the Precision Medicine Webinar for Healthcare Providers

Oakland, California, March 5, 2018 (Newswire.com) - Bridge Clinical Research and Stanford Precision Health for Ethnic and Racial Equity Center (SPHERE) held their Precision Medicine Webinar for healthcare providers on January 22^nd, 2018.

“The webinar revealing results of focus groups on precision medicine was helpful for me as a clinician to learn more about Precision Medicine, barriers to participation that can be addressed in my practice setting and concerns amongst patients from a variety of backgrounds,” (Anonymous, Webinar Attendee).

The webinar revealing results of focus groups on precision medicine was helpful for me as a clinician to learn more about Precision Medicine, barriers to participation that can be addressed in my practice setting and concerns amongst patients from a variety of backgrounds

Anonymous, Emergency Medicine Physician

SPHERE is one of the first national centers funded by National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities, focusing on using precision-medicine tools to improve the health of underserved ethnic and racial groups. Bridge Clinical Research serves as a SPHERE community partner and work cohesively to decrease health disparities through precision medicine.

Dr. Owen Garrick presented the findings from our precision medicine focus groups to a diverse representation of healthcare professionals. The attendees included doctors, physician assistants, nurses, registered dieticians, researchers, medical and dental students, and other healthcare managerial staff members. 

Presented at the focus group were primary issues we learned are important to our provider community. Amongst other issues, patient outreach seemed to be the most difficult for providers. Many physicians are reluctant to use precision medicine in their practice because they don’t know how to. In response, we discussed examples of outreaching that are inclusive and well communicated across all cultures and languages equally. 

After the meeting, we received feedback on our ethical guidelines produced by SPHERE with the help of Bridge Clinical Research and other community partners. The guidelines will eventually serve as a set of standards directing researchers in their work to address cultural factors and concerns about participation in precision health research.

“The leadership and expertise of community partners, such as Bridge Clinical Research has helped us understand healthcare providers’ perception and concerns regarding Precision Health.  At the webinar we were able to confirm the importance of outreach and also that many healthcare providers are interested in more examples on how they can incorporate precision medicine into their practice to address health disparities.” Rhonda McClinton-Brown, Executive Director for Office of Community Engagement Center for Population Health Sciences.

Source: Bridge Clinical Research