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Robert A. Winn, M.D., director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, looked at the crowd of nearly 120 people and began his remarks with a smile.

“I’m so happy,” he said. “Thank you for taking a chance with this program. When given the opportunity, you said yes.”

Winn helped to kick off the 2023 Winn Career Development Award (Winn CDA) Annual Convening of the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program (Winn Awards), held Nov. 17-19 in La Jolla, Ca.

Robert A. Winn, speaking at the 2023 Winn Career Development Award (Winn CDA) Annual Convening of the Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award Program (Winn Awards)

The Winn Awards was established in 2020 with a $100 million pledge by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF) to increase diversity in clinical trials and transform the clinical research landscape.

Through the Winn CDA and the Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program (Winn CIPP), the initiative aims to train, develop and mentor more than 308 diverse and community-oriented clinical trialists and 308 medical students by 2027.

Currently, Gilead Sciences and Amgen also provide funding to the Winn Awards. VCU and the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) are implementation partners. Implementation collaborators include Conquer Cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Foundation; and the American Heart Association (AHA).

“This program happened out of understanding the need for it,” explained Winn. “The fact is that 40% of folks who offer trials never reach their goal. But if they ask, make it make sense and connect, over 30% of patients who would typically say no to clinical trials will actually say yes.”

About breaking ground with the program, Winn acknowledged, “It’s hard to be the first. When you’re the first, you don’t get the sense of what you’re doing to impact change. It takes courage to do a different thing.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), nearly 80% of clinical trials participants are white, and that hinders the ability to eliminate health disparities and ensure medicines are safe and effective for all patients.

In the future, Winn expects each of the scholars to build upon the relationships forged during their participation in the program; he called on them to continue their conversations to help change the framework for clinical trials development and enrollment.

“We need you to actually help us set our goals for the future. We need your voice. We need you to say you would love to go from 5-10% but here is what is missing. It’s not enough to have you in the field. I want you at the table.”

Winn applauded the progress made in such a short period of time, and he thanked the program participants and partners for their commitment and collaboration.

“When you move, I move,” Winn ended his talk by quoting the song “Stand Up” by rapper Ludacris. “Just like that.”

In early 2023, the program will launch two Winn Clinical Investigator Leadership Awards (Winn CILA), one in oncology and another in cardiovascular medicine. Winn CILA is a three-year career and leadership development program open to alumni of the Winn CDA.

Written by: Amy Lacey