Dr. P and Dr. Saraswathy Nochur discuss why it is imperative that people of diverse backgrounds participate in clinical trials. Dr. Nochur explains what happens before, during, and after a clinical trial and notes that people can find a clinical trial for which they may be qualified by visiting www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Saraswathy Nochur is Chief DE&I Officer at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, MA where she works with various stakeholders to increase diversity, promote equity and foster inclusion at Alnylam, and also co-leads initiatives to increase diversity in clinical trials. She previously was Head, Global Regulatory Affairs at Alnylam for 14 years, enabling the development and approval of four RNA interference therapeutics for rare diseases. She has been in the Boston biotechnology industry since 1989. Sara holds a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from MIT.
Sara is on the Board of Marinus Pharmaceuticals, a company developing innovative therapeutics to treat rare seizure disorders and of Decibel Therapeutics, who are developing regenerative and gene therapy strategies to restore hearing and balance. She is a host and member of the Board of Hospitality Homes, a non-profit organization that provides free/low-cost housing for patients/families who seek medical care in Boston. She is also on the Board of Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP), a non-profit organization that aims to increase the representation of underrepresented minority and disadvantaged individuals in all facets of science and medicine.
Please note that the website "clinical trials.gov" was inadvertently referred to as "clintrials.gov" in this episode. Please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov to find out more information about clinical trials being conducted in the United States.