Join the Wright Center in celebrating Clinical Trials Day on May 20
In March 2020, when the pandemic hit, there were no approved treatments or vaccines for COVID-19.
A little more than a year later, much of the world is being vaccinated, and fewer people with COVID-19 are dying — kept alive and off ventilators with the help of approved treatments.
None of that would be possible without clinical trials, which happen at VCU every day and with the help of the Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research.
International Clinical Trials Day on May 20 is a chance to engage with patients about the value of their participation in clinical trials. And it celebrates the tireless work of the doctors, nurses and staff that make clinical trials happen.
Today at VCU, there are:
- 300 ongoing clinical trials
- 5,165 active clinical research participants
- 2,417 participants enrolled in the past year
- 32 COVID-19 clinical research studies
There are cutting-edge treatments for cancer through the VCU Massey Cancer Center. There are trials at VCU Pauley Heart Center that seek to unlock the mysteries of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. And there are studies across campus that target rare diseases, giving hope to patients with devastating diagnoses.
Last year, VCU was part of clinical trials for remdesivir, which became the first drug authorized by the FDA to treat COVID-19. And several ongoing studies test the efficacy of certain drugs and treatments in fighting COVID-19, as doctors continue to learn more about the novel coronavirus.
The Wright Center was instrumental in helping the university and health system pivot to provide innovative COVID-19 treatments to patients, leading an oversight committee of potential trials. It joined a national data collaborative that will allow researchers to study the novel coronavirus for years to come. And its researchers and staff were on the front lines of clinical trials for COVID-19, while continuing their non-COVID-19 research.
This year, it’s never been clearer: Clinical trials advance research and medicine for all, creating a healthier future for us and our families.
What can I do to celebrate Clinical Trials Day?
Everyone can:
- Talk to your doctor about clinical trials. Ask them what trials might be right for you.
- Find a clinical trial by searching VCU’s StudyFinder for studies enrolling at VCU and VCU Health.
- Sign up for ResearchMatch to get notifications about future studies — at VCU and beyond.
- Follow the VCU Clinical Trials Facebook page to read about studies recruiting at VCU.
- Post your support of clinical trials participation and the people who make trials possible with #CTD2021 #clinicaltrialsday, and tag the Wright Center.
- VCU Health patients can now join a national study seeking to enroll 1 million or more people across the U.S. Learn more about the All of Us Research Program.
Providers can talk to their patients about clinical trials they might qualify for and post their support of clinical trials participation on May 20, too.
What’s it like to participate in a clinical trial?
Read Rebecca Jennings’ story, COVID-19 survivor finds hope and health at Community Memorial Hospital, or Reed Whitener sharing his story of surviving cancer and being part of a clinical trial.
Listen to Kathy White, COVID-19 survivor and clinical trial participant
Listen to Howard Reich’s story: “The treatment worked”
This post was adapted from a VCU Health article.
