Welcome back to The Patients Speak, where we're combining the business and science innovation of healthcare with the patient voice on how we need to accelerate their journey from diagnosis to wellness. Our guest today is Michael Sapienza, the CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

We had a wonderful discussion on the CCA’s most recent Colon cancer campaign that was beautifully executed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Brooks Bell partnered with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance to launch LEAD FROM BEHIND to bring awareness to colon cancer, which happens to be preventable cancer!

Michael insists that patients should be more proactive and insist that they get screening, especially for this type of cancer.

Having lost his mother at 56 years old when she was screened he says that she wasn't proactive in getting a screening. As his primary caregiver, he narrowed down what patients want into two things.

1. They want to live and they want to live longer  
2. They don't wanna feel alone. 

In that respect they have multiple programs in their care pillar:

• They provide information about biomarkers, surgery, and innovations in clinical trials.
• They give psychosocial pieces if patients are suffering from depression or anxiety or even temporary feelings of loneliness.

In order to bridge the research gap, they are holding a clinical trial summit on November 10 in Washington DC. where the head of the Moon Shot will be giving the keynote speech. In order to open a conversation with all parties involved so as to improve clinical trial access and, and uptake in general. 

From the CCA campaign, there are a few lessons that he learned that Michael shared:

1. It's important to have the right partners.
2. Always keep in mind why they do what they do
3. You have to believe in the mission 

In summary, they are really passionate about getting a solution on how to get people and oncologists in America to increase the uptake of sharing information about clinical trials. They are also involved in traversing all of America, especially rural America navigating patients to get the actual screening. Providing funding through their health equity fund to actually get people in underserved communities to actually get screened. Which has given them the huge task of raising awareness.

Michael Sapienza

Michael's Website

Michael Sapienza is the CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the largest colon cancer advocacy group in the country. He lost his mother to colorectal cancer in May 2009. He turned his profound grief into action, inspiring and challenging the colorectal cancer community, family, friends, and professional associates to follow his lead and dedicate themselves to ending colorectal cancer within our lifetime—the mission of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Michael founded The Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation and served as its President from 2010-2015. In 2016, he led the team that merged the Foundation and the Colon Cancer Alliance, creating the nation’s largest colon cancer specific nonprofit, which changed its name to Colorectal Cancer Alliance in 2017 to embrace both the colon and rectal cancer communities.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michael-sapienza-913a375

If you’d like to read more about patient empowerment – along with the 83bar patient recruitment platform – go to www.83bar.com

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