DS-HELP

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 (25 each from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee)

2) Black medical providers (25 each from Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee) 

3) Black health disparity researchers outside of field of lupus 25 each 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 participation of Black lupus patients, Black primary physicians and Black health disparity researchers/clinicians or those who work with those populations into lupus clinical trials participation by addressing underlying systemic racism.

The specific aims include:

1.) Increase Black participation in lupus clinical trials through increasing awareness, importance and knowledge, and decreasing barriers with Black Lupus Support group members

2.) Increase Black participation of lupus clinical trials through 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.

For more information on DS-HELP please reach out to Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, Principal Investigator at pfoster@ua.edu.