On May 22, Queens Medical Associates (QMA) will be hosting its very first Clinical Trials Day to help cancer patients and their families understand the importance and answer questions about clinical trials.
From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., attendees can meet with QMA’s Clinical Trials Team, who will be there to answer all questions patients and their families may have regarding clinical trials.
Some of the topics that will be covered include informed consent, the advancement in medicine that resulted from clinical trials and what the determining factors are that allow people to participate in a clinical trial. There will also be a game that de-bunks the myths surrounding clinical trials.
“Our Clinical Trials Day event presents an amazing opportunity to speak with our patients about what clinical trials entail and how they can be of benefit to cancer treatment plans,” said Karen Eisenberg, RN, MPS, Director of Clinical Research at QMA. “Clinical trials not only present an opportunity for the patients who take part in them, but also for researchers around the world, who use this type of research as a critical tool for learning more about various types of cancers, their effects on the body and how to treat them.”
International Clinical Trials Day is held every year to commemorate the day that James Lind, a surgeon and pioneer researcher, began the first randomized clinical trial in 1747 to diagnose scurvy on board a Navy ship. Since then, clinical trials have guidelines based on many factors about who can participate in the program.
“Our event enables us to raise awareness of the great advancements in clinical trials, as well as dispel the myths and misconceptions about them,” explained Dr. Abhisek Swaika, who has been actively involved in clinical trials and has authored several articles in major scientific journals.
The event will take place at the QMA office, located at 176-60 Union Tpke. in Fresh Meadows. For more information, visit queensmedical.com or call 718-460-2300.
