Driving Inclusive Trials
A recent study has shown that clinical trial sites with diverse personnel are better equipped to recruit volunteers from racial and ethnic minority groups. This highlights the importance of diversity, not only in the participant population, but also in the clinical research workforce.
Building trust and engagement with patients is key to increasing clinical trial recruitment, participation, and completion rates. To do so, Velocity invests in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives that strengthen employee awareness, study conduct, and the clinical research community as a whole.
Diversity at Velocity Clinical Research
Ensuring Employee Diversity
About half of Velocity’s workforce identifies as non-white
Making Sites Accessible
Establishing sites in demographically diverse, easily accessible locations
Removing Language Barriers
Employing bilingual staff, utilizing real-time translation, and offering materials tailored for minority groups
Engaging Communities
Establishing partnerships with local groups, appointing community liaisons, and initiating charitable programs
Intensive Data Capture
Capturing full race and ethnicity data for all database patients
Ongoing Staff Training
Promoting an inclusive culture, minimizing bias, and maintaining a safe, unbiased environment
Accessible Technology
Using technology to improve the way people find and participate in clinical trials
Focusing on Patients
2023 SCRS Patient Centricity Award Winner for innovative programs
Featured Initiative
Real-time interpreting for 300+ languages
Velocity is committed to inclusivity and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their nationality or spoken language, can participate in groundbreaking clinical research studies.
Language should never be a barrier to advancing medicine, and so, in collaboration with Boostlingo, we offer live phone and video interpretation services in over 300 languages. This includes Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian, German, Portuguese, Hindi, Mandarin, Japanese, and many more. A standout success of this solution was Velocity’s enrollment of its first participant using American Sign Language (ASL).
With this extensive language support, we aim to create a welcoming and accessible environment for individuals from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Velocity can support immediate interpretation services, or schedule services ahead of time to ensure fast and accurate communication through each step of the clinical research process.
Featured Initiative
The ACRP Ride4DEI
Providing scholarships for professional growth and development for clinical researchers of diverse backgrounds, the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) Ride4DEI is a cycling challenge created by Sergio Armani, EVP, Business Development, Helios Clinical Research, and Rick Fisher, VP, Operations, Velocity Clinical Research.
Starting in 2021, Sergio and Rick teamed up to complete this grueling journey through the mountains and the mud, venturing from Pittsburgh, PA, to Washington, DC, to raise funds to improve diversity and inclusion in the clinical research workforce. Over the past couple years, the number of cyclists and the amounts raised have grown tremendously, providing ACRP educational scholarships — including attendance at the ACRP’s annual conference — for entry-level clinical research professionals from diverse communities.
A proud sponsor of this year’s challenge, Velocity is committed to improving health equity in clinical trials — for participants, researchers, and site staff alike. To support the ACRP Ride4DEI, visit this website. You can also join the conversation on social media — share a photo of you going for a ride or share some encouraging words for the riders with #Ride4DEI to help others learn about this fundraiser.
Improving Representation in Trials
Supporting your diversity goals
In April 2022, FDA released draft guidance regarding “Diversity Plans to Improve Enrollment of Participants from Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Populations in Clinical Trials.” This draft guidance outlines recommendations on developing and executing plans aimed at increasing clinical trial participation in historically underrepresented populations.
Given Velocity’s unique recruitment capabilities and scale, we are increasingly supporting Sponsors and CROs in strategically aligning diversity and inclusion goals. Velocity presents sites in locations that support representative diversity.
Join a remarkable team doing remarkable work
Through inclusive hiring initiatives, Velocity strives to ensure its workforce comprises various minority groups. Velocity’s site staff are representative of the communities they serve in ethnicity, gender, race, and even languages spoken.
Velocity’s site staff are also empowered to support local community groups to foster relationships with underserved communities, especially communities of color and the LGBTQ community. Velocity staff frequently sponsors, attends, and exhibits at local community events, connects with local community leaders, and supports nonprofits and charities.
Velocity careers offer competitive pay and benefits, and reward high performance with excellent opportunities. Whether you're an industry veteran or are looking to take your first step into clinical research, we invite you to apply at Velocity.
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