Impact Brief – June 2022

The “Deep South Health Equity Lupus Project” (DS-HELP) addresses the need to increase Black participation in lupus clinical trials by engaging three project participant groups:

1. Black lupus support group members (target reach is 25 individuals representing Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee)
2. Black physicians (target reach is 25 representatives from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee) and
3. Black health disparity researchers outside of the field of lupus (target reach is 25 individuals from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee)

These groups will participate over one year in a comprehensive educational program and intervention which relies on existing interventions in expanded populations as well as the incorporation of new approaches to: 1) increase program participants’ knowledge and awareness of lupus clinical trials, 2) decrease barriers for either referral or participation in trials, 3) increase their willingness to refer or participate in clinical trials (as patients or researchers) at the end of the intervention.

The overall goal of (DS-HELP) is to increase the participation of Black lupus patients, Black primary physicians, and Black health disparity researchers/clinicians or those who work with those populations in lupus clinical trials participation by addressing underlying systemic racism. The specific aims include: 1) Increase Black participation in lupus clinical trials by increasing awareness, importance and knowledge, and decreasing barriers with Black Lupus Support group members 2) Increase Black participation in lupus clinical trials by increasing awareness, importance, and knowledge and decreasing barriers with Black adult primary care physicians FP, IM, OB/GYN 3) Increase the number of Black researchers or those who work with those populations who will become more involved in clinical or lupus disparities research Individuals over the age of 18 years old, who identify as African American, and either suffer or have a family member living with lupus are asked to use the web link provided below to enroll.

Participants will receive up to $300 in incentives.

For more information: lupus.org/southeast/deep-south-health-equity-lupus-project. Black primary physicians and Black health disparity researchers/clinicians should contact Principal Investigator Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster at pfoster@ua.edu for more information.