BlackDoctor.org, Evidation Health, Movember, and Myovant Sciences announced the launch of Forward Momentum, a cross-sector coalition working on innovative projects to increase diversity in research and develop new digital resources for men with prostate cancer in the United States.
Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent form of cancer and second leading cause of cancer death in men in the U.S. More than 3 million men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the U.S. and more than 33,000 deaths are expected in 2020, with Black men twice as likely to die from the disease. Despite significant progress in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, Forward Momentum believes that collaboration among healthcare, research, and advocacy organizations is needed to improve the quality of life and reduce stigma for men with prostate cancer, and to better understand and address racial disparities in the disease, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Forward Momentum announced two initial projects aimed at addressing these issues:
- Increasing Diversity in Health Research: Evidation is working with BlackDoctor.org to help Black men and women participate in a study being conducted in collaboration with Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on the effects of COVID-19 on mental health. This is part of an ongoing effort by Evidation to make health research more representative and inclusive.
- Digital Resources to Track Mental and Physical Health in Prostate Cancer: Movember’s True North website helps men navigate their prostate cancer journey, providing resources, education, and community. Myovant Sciences is partnering with Movember to develop novel tools to track mental and physical health in men with prostate cancer. Since COVID-19 has exacerbated many men’s health challenges as well as eliminated many of the spaces that men go to for information and support, Movember and Myovant Sciences are working to create accessible digital resources designed to begin to address these issues.
Reggie Ware, chief executive officer of BlackDoctor.org, said, “Black men and women have historically been under-represented in scientific and clinical research. Yet, without higher levels of participation, we cannot effectively investigate the disproportionate impact of diseases affecting Black communities. We are proud to use our platform to encourage more members of the Black community to participate in these important studies and make their voices heard – particularly around critical healthcare issues like COVID-19 and prostate cancer.”
Sam Gledhill, global director of Digital Health at Movember, said, “Our True North platform is designed to help men navigate their prostate cancer journey, beyond the cancer itself. We are committed to creating innovative tools and resources that can help men track their health and talk about their experiences with the disease, which can impact all dimensions of their lives. We are confident that through partnership we can accelerate this mission.”
Christine Lemke, president and co-founder of Evidation, said, “Representation truly matters in studies of all kinds. It's especially critical for diverse voices to be heard and counted given the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. We've designed our study to lower the barriers to participation and capture our collective lived experience of the pandemic.”
Lynn Seely, M.D., chief executive officer of Myovant Sciences, said, “Myovant’s mission is to redefine care for men and for women. To us, that means not only developing new medicines but sharing our research and expertise in areas like prostate cancer in order to support initiatives that can improve people’s mental and physical wellbeing throughout their treatment journey.”
More information is available at forwardmomentum.com.
