Women in Clinical Trials Webinar Part 2: A Patient’s Perspective

What will the session cover?

• A recap of the key themes and insights from the first webinar in the series.
• Patient perspectives on improving inclusion and representation in clinical trials.
• How meaningful patient involvement can help address EDI challenges in women’s health research.
• Live audience Q&A with our expert panel.

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Who should attend?

This webinar is designed for a broad audience across the FPM community and beyond, including those who are directly involved in clinical trials, drug development strategy or in the execution of a clinical development plan.

Those who may specifically wish to attend are:

• Physicians involved in trial design, conduct, or monitoring of clinical trials
• Patient engagement, patient advocates and and EDI specialists
• Academic researchers and policymakers
• Anyone interested in creating more inclusive and patient-centred clinical research

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Where is this webinar taking place?

This webinar will be delivered on Zoom. Once your booking is confirmed, you will receive joining information.

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Meet the speakers

Dr Bu Siakpere FFPM is a Fellow of FPM with a Pharmaceutical Medicine specialisation and is a senior pharmaceutical physician. Bu is the Chair of FPM’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum and has held GSK UK and global medical affairs roles of increasing seniority, having started her pharmaceutical career at BMS after practising in the UK NHS and training in obstetrics and gynaecology. Bu also practised as a medical officer in rural South Africa and undertook a special assignment at Save the Children as the global pneumonia advisor. She is Global co-lead of the GSK EMBRACE race and ethnicity employee resource group and a STEM Ambassador. Bu has an MBA from Imperial College Business School, University of London, Membership of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and an MB ChB from the University of Birmingham, Medical School UK.

 

Dr Kirsty Wydenbach FFPM is a regulatory expert and pharmaceutical physician, and since 2022 has been Head of Regulatory Strategy at Weatherden, a global integrated clinical consultancy experienced in de-risking drug development. She also currently chairs the Clinical Trial Science and Regulations Expert Group of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (FPM), is a visiting senior lecturer for King’s College London, and sits on the Drug Development Advisory Board at Simbec-Orion. Prior to joining Weatherden she has over 13 years’ experience as an Expert Medical Assessor at the MHRA within the Clinical Trials Unit, having a particular interest in ATMPs and first-in-human studies. Other work has included collaboration with industry groups and global regulators regarding adaptive and novel trial designs, including co-authoring several publications. She led the MHRA work on novel trial design for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy as well as through the MHRA Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP).Kirsty also oversaw the clinical trials work for COVID-19 and provided regulatory expertise on vaccines both within MHRA but also as part of the Government Vaccine Taskforce.

 

Dr Emma Dean MFPM is an oncology drug development leader with expertise in experimental cancer medicine, early clinical development and translational science. As Global Project Leader at AstraZeneca, she has led complex oncology programmes across treatment modalities and development stages through major investment decisions. Previously, she was a clinical academic at The Christie Hospital and The University of Manchester, practicing as a consultant medical oncologist and global Chief Investigator for early Phase clinical trials. Emma is known for building inclusive high-performing teams, driving strategic execution and leading programmes through early to late Phase, with a clear purpose to translate innovative cancer science into meaningful patient outcomes.

 

Dr Chitra Kumaravel is a Principal Investigator at Parexel’s Early Phase Clinical Research Unit in London, with over 10 years of clinical experience across intensive care, emergency medicine, pharmacovigilance, and early phase clinical trials. She specialises in first-in-human studies, participant safety, and early clinical drug development. Dr Kumaravel is currently undertaking Specialist Training in Pharmaceutical Medicine and an MSc in Clinical Pharmacology at King’s College London. She is a member of the Health Research Authority Research Ethics Committee and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, with a particular interest in advancing inclusive, ethical, and patient-centred clinical research and improving diversity in clinical trial participation.

 

Dr Etomby Namme joins us as an expert patient advocate. Her day-to-day work as a clinical trials physician and background in Medical Genetics and Experimental medicine, allows her to uniquely bridge scientific protocol and lived patient experience. Living with sickle cell and having navigated clinical trials as a participant herself, she is passionate about encouraging more women and people from minority groups to join research trials and serves on multiple advisory bodies to ensure research designs and patient services reflect real-world practicalities and lived experiences.

 

Dr Michael Zaiac FFPM is a physician-leader whose career has been shaped by a deep commitment to science, patients and people. Trained in the United Kingdom and Germany, he began in surgery before specialising in surgical oncology, caring for patients with breast cancer, sarcoma, melanoma and other malignancies. He later moved into industry to help translate scientific innovation into meaningful therapeutic advances. Michael has led teams across clinical research, development, commercial functions and medical affairs, supporting medicines in oncology and other major disease areas. He holds an MD, MBA, FRCS, FFPM, specialty registration and honorary GFMD, with publications across medicine and healthcare innovation.