Welcome to our six-part series: Increasing Diversity in IBD Clinical Trials. This program will explore how to become a clinical trialist and increase diversity in IBD clinical trials.

In this episode, hosts Drs. Erin Forster and Ayanna Lewis are joined by Melodie Narain-Blackwell, the founder and president of Color of Crohn’s & Chronic Illness (COCCI). COCCI is a nonprofit dedicated to health equity in BIPOC communities that are challenged with digestive diseases and chronic illnesses. Melodie was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 36, thirty years after her symptoms began, and has become a passionate health advocate for people of color who battle chronic illness. Today’s discussion focuses on how we talk about clinical research with patients.

This series is supported by educational grants from AbbVie Inc.; Amgen; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Genentech, a member of the Roche Group; Janssen Biotech, Inc., administered by Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC; and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., and a quality improvement grant from Pfizer Inc.