Join us as we discuss the Act that U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), along with Representatives Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.-01), recently introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to increase the diversity of participants in all National Institutes of Health (NIH) - funded trials. The NIH Clinical Trial Diversity Act builds upon their current policies to enhance the inclusion of women, racially and ethnically diverse individuals and people of all ages in all NIH-funded trials.

Moderator

Donney John, PharmD
Executive Director
NOVA ScriptsCentral

Dr. John is the Executive Director of NOVA ScriptsCentral an award winning non-profit charitable pharmacy that provides life saving medication and education to uninsured patients in the Northern Virginia area. He is a practicing pharmacist, patient advocate, healthcare consultant and entrepreneur.

Dr. John has considerable expertise in the areas of precision medicine, patient engagement, population health management, health disparities and mobile health technology solutions. He serves as a medical advisor for a variety of companies focused on health/wellness, patient engagement and medication adherence

Dr. John has also worked in academia serving as an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences where he developed innovative ambulatory care practice sites within federally qualified community health centers. He has worked to train healthcare professionals in the areas of health literacy and cultural competency in order to address health dispartities. In 2017, he was named as one of the 40 under 40 Thought Leaders in Health by the National Minority Quality Forum.

Panelists

Meagan Thompson, DNP
Senior Health Policy Advisor
Congresswoman Robin Kelly (IL-02)

Dr. Meagan Thompson is the Senior Health Policy Advisor for Congresswoman Robin Kelly who serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. As a nurse and former hospital administrator working at the intersection of public health and health policy, Meagan understands that we must improve the conditions in which people live, work, and play to make healthcare interventions most effective. Under the tutelage of Congresswoman Kelly, she is working on legislation to improve the quality of maternal health services, expand access to mental health services, improve access to nutritious food, and increase diversity in clinical trials.

She hails from Mississippi and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Following her time at Ole Miss, she completed a dual masters program receiving her Masters of Business Administration and Health Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She then received her Doctorate in Nursing Practice with an emphasis in health care leadership where her dissertation focused on spirituality in African-American women and the association with Breast cancer mortality rates.


Cecilia Vaughn-Guy, M.S.,OT
Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Legislative Fellow
Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-02)

Cecilia Vaughn-Guy is a Women’s Congressional Policy Institute Legislative Fellow in the office of Congresswoman Robin L. Kelly (IL-02), focusing on issues within the Congresswoman’s health portfolio. Cecilia was particularly drawn to this office due to her present interest and history in healthcare advocacy. Cecilia graduated from Duquesne University with a bachelor's degree in psychology and from University of Illinois at Chicago with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Cecilia worked across the lifespan and hospital, outpatient, community, and academic settings as an occupational therapy before returning to graduate school.

Originally published June 23, 2023