'New Treatments, No Tricks' A Seminar on Minority Participation in Clinical Trials

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Host 'New Treatments, No Tricks' A Seminar on Minority Participation in Clinical Trials

Memphis, Tenn. (June 1, 2010) – On Tuesday, June 15, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society will host a seminar on increasing African-American and Latino participation in clinical trials that are used to improve health outcomes for all citizens. New Treatments, No Tricks, which will be held at the UTHSC Student-Alumni Center), 800 Madison Avenue, aims to reduce minority fears of participating in clinical trials and inform minority citizens on how to gain access to various studies.

Photograph of Participants in the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Image courtesy Public Domain Clip Art

The workshops are intended to: 1. explain clinical trials in layman’s terms; 2. discuss barriers to and benefits from clinical trials participation; 3. describe government requirements for protecting individuals who volunteer for clinical studies, and 4. provide a forum for audience questions to researchers who conduct clinical trials and minority citizens who actively participate in these studies. (An agenda is attached.)

New Treatments, No Tricks is designed for African-American and Latino citizens, health care professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists and care takers), policy-makers, community health organizers, minority communications experts, and all interested individuals. Speakers represent UT Health Science Center, Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University, the University of Memphis, UT Medical Group, the West Clinic, and the Men’s Health Network. The primary sponsors are the UT Health Science Center Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Additional sponsors include the Consortium for Health Education Economic Empowerment and Research, the Men’s Health Network, and the National Medical Association.

The seminar will include a film and panel discussion on the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, a clinical trial conducted between 1932 and 1972 in Tuskegee, Ala., involving African-American sharecroppers with syphilis. The 40-year study examined the progression of untreated syphilis to justify treatment for African-Americans. The clinical trial became controversial because researchers failed to treat patients appropriately after the 1940s validation of penicillin. The panel for this workshop includes clinical trials investigators and citizens who participate in clinical studies. More information about the Tuskegee Experiment can be found at More information about the Tuskegee Experiment can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_syphilis_experiment.

There is no charge to attend the seminar, but registration is required. Interested participants are asked to register no later than Thursday, June 10, by contacting Deborah Talley of UT Health Science Center at (901) 448-1938 or by e-mailing at dtalley4@uthsc.edu.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu. ###

Conference Agenda

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. Welcome and Definition of Clinical Trials

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Turning the Page on Minority Fears: A Seminar Overview

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. New Directions in Blood Cancer Therapies

10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Break

10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. New Cures vs. Old Fears: A film and panel discussion on the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, a clinical study conducted in Tuskegee, Ala., between 1932 and 1972

11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. The Impact Model: A Proven Method for Eliminating Barriers to Minority Participation in Clinical Trials

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Removing Fears and Other Trustbusters: An Overview on Research Protection for Study Participants

12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Lunch and Speaker

The Lives You Save May Start with Your Own: How to Find and Access Clinical Trials

1:45 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Wrap-up, evaluations and educational credits information

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For more information, contact: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Communications and Marketing, Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957 or Dena Owens – (901) 448-4072

Contact Us: 62 South Dunlap Street. Room 203. Memphis, TN 38163. Phone: (901) 448-5544. Fax: (901) 448-8640