The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) is expanding the scope of its Advanced Clinical Trials Readiness Initiative, aimed at improving the quality of clinical research by improving patient access. The initiative will attempt to recruit patients who are typically underrepresented, such as those who live in rural areas.
ARPA-H has appointed Etta Pisano, MD, chief research officer at the American College of Radiology (ACR), to lead the push and ultimately build upon the clinical trial portfolio of ARPA-H. Pisano is an expert in breast cancer and women's health and has a research background focused on using artificial intelligence in medical imaging.
Pisano said in a statement that she will "be working for ARPA-H to identify and promote research that can improve healthcare quality, efficacy and delivery, and to improve patient care and access to clinical trials for all Americans, including women, rural residents and the underserved.”
She is the first radiologist appointed by ARPA-H to serve in this role. Pisano will also continue her role at the ACR, where she is currently working on a large-scale trial on breast imaging alongside the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial is notable for its high-level of Black inclusion (21%), at a rate more than double most NCI-funded clinical studies.
Pisano will continue to improve clinical trial diversity for the ARPA-H by identifying rural healthcare facilities located in communities that typically do not have access to academic medical centers, helping them to onboard their patients into new cancer research initiatives.
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