Esther Krofah is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Health, leading FasterCures, Public Health, the Future of Aging, and Feeding Change. She has extensive experience managing efforts to unite diverse stakeholders to solve critical issues and achieve shared goals that improve patients’ lives.
Participation in clinical research among racial and ethnic minorities remains low, even though such groups now represent nearly 40 percent of the US population. Health disparities were laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic, with ethnic and racial minorities significantly underrepresented in early vaccine trials despite being disproportionally impacted by the disease. As a 2022 National Academies report stated, “The lack of equitable representation in clinical trials compounds disparities in health and will cost the United States hundreds of billions of dollars.”
Despite decades of work and recent progress—including passage of the Food and Drug Omnibus Reform Act of 2023, which established legislative mandates for increasing clinical trial diversity—there remains a need for collective action across sectors and organizations to align on goals for system-wide, sustainable change. To that end, members of the four organizations with established leadership in advancing diversity in clinical trials—the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI), FasterCures, the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard (MRCT Center), and the National Academies Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation—coordinated a series of convenings in 2023 to establish a path toward increased diversity in clinical trials.
This report details the actions organizations and sectors from across the enterprise can take to create a clinical trials enterprise that is diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible to all.
The Community Explorer investigates US health disparities by first understanding populations’ specificities then looking at their health profile. It identifies the different populations or communities based on their behavioral, demographic...
DEI in Asset Management Program Aims to Improve Recruitment, Retention and Advancement; Carlyle joins initiative as Strategic Partner and first Underwriter Washington, DC – October 14, 2021 – As part of its ongoing work to elevate diversity...
Chad Clinton is the director of media relations for the Milken Institute. Hired to this role in August 2021, Clinton develops and executes strategies to amplify the Institute’s core messages by generating coverage of its pillar workstreams, experts, and events.
Clinical trial enrollment can vary based on demographics. Cancer drug trials, for example, have been shown to skew disproportionately toward young, White, male participants. Variability also exists in a treatment’s effectiveness across...
In this collection of essays from the Center for the Future of Aging, experts identify challenges and opportunities in realizing the potential of healthy, productive and purposeful aging.
Dr. Richard Pazdur Director Oncology Center of Excellence US Food and Drug Administration Beltsville, MD 20705 Dr. Michelle Tarver Acting Director Center for Devices and Radiological Health US Food and Drug Administration Silver Spring, MD...
Comment Letter: Action Plans to Improve Diversity in Clinical Studies
Esther Krofah is the executive vice president of Milken Institute Health, leading FasterCures, Public Health, the Future of Aging, and Feeding Change. She has extensive experience managing efforts to unite diverse stakeholders to solve critical issues and achieve shared goals that improve patients’ lives.
Good mental health is critical to overall health and well-being, but a cycle of almost endless stressors, stigma, and systemic barriers to accessing quality care have brought America’s collective mental health to a breaking point. In 2018...
The 25th annual event will be in-person and follow strict health and safety protocols Los Angeles – January 10, 2022 – The Milken Institute will hold its 25th annual Global Conference May 1-4, 2022 at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles...
Chad Clinton is the director of media relations for the Milken Institute. Hired to this role in August 2021, Clinton develops and executes strategies to amplify the Institute’s core messages by generating coverage of its pillar workstreams, experts, and events.
Lauren K. Roth Associate Commissioner for Policy Food and Drug Administration 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852 Dear Ms. Roth, FasterCures is pleased to respond to the Request for Comments on the FDA Draft Guidance for the...
The Milken Institute and U.S. Small Business Administration Partnership for Lending in Underserved Markets ( PLUM) initiative aims to increase the amount of capital reaching minority-owned businesses and the number of successful minority...
In 2021, the US allocated 17.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to health care, almost double the average expenditure of countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Throughout American history, substantial inequality has existed, particularly in minority communities for whom median household wealth continues to lag significantly compared to nonminorities. Compounded by longstanding wealth disparities...
Inaugural Council Initiated as Part of the Center for Financial Markets’ DEI in Asset Management Initiative Today, the Milken Institute’s Center for Financial Markets (CFM) announced the launch of the DEI in Asset Management Executive...
Chad Clinton is the director of media relations for the Milken Institute. Hired to this role in August 2021, Clinton develops and executes strategies to amplify the Institute’s core messages by generating coverage of its pillar workstreams, experts, and events.
