Prescreening Has Power and It’s a Good Step Toward Equity!

Prescreening gives us a chance to educate before decisions are made.

In this solo episode, I talk about why prescreening is one of the most important and overlooked steps in the clinical trial process. At Diverse Research Now, we use Advocate Assisted Prescreening to bridge the gap between clinical trials and the communities that are too often left out.

Through health fairs, community events, and real conversations, I have seen how trust and education help open doors. Inclusion does not begin when someone joins a study. It begins the moment we show up, listen, and build relationships.

If you are a researcher, funder, or community leader, I invite you to think differently about how we connect with the people who need research the most. Let’s keep moving toward equity, one step at a time.

🎧 Tune in for a real look at how one conversation can lead to real change.

Must-Hear Insights and Key Moments

• Prescreening Is Power – It’s more than a checklist. Prescreening is how we open the door to discovery and ensure no one gets left out.
• People Want to Help – From Alzheimer’s to lupus, communities are eager to be part of the solution when they feel respected, informed, and seen.
• Trust Starts with Representation – Advocate-Assisted Prescreening puts familiar, trusted faces at the frontlines of clinical education and access.
• Research Needs More Than Forms – Real conversations build real participation. Handouts can’t replace human connection.
• Fear Comes from the Unknown – Education is the antidote. When people understand trials, they’re more likely to participate and benefit.

Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode

1. "Your health, your voice, your participation matters in this field." – Dr. Renarda Jones
2. "No one ever invited me to join the study. I didn’t know those trials were for us. – Dr. Renarda Jones
3. "When they say, 'I'm here to walk you through this,' that changes the game." – Dr. Renarda Jones
4. "At the end of the day, this isn’t just about filling seats for us in a study, it’s about health equity." – Dr. Renarda Jones
5. "Together we can break down barriers and build bridges—one conversation, one pre-screener, one trial at a time." – Dr. Renarda Jones
6. "Your health, your voice, your participation matters in this field." – Dr. Renarda Jones

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Transcript

Note: We use AI transcription so there may be some inaccuracies

Dr. Ren: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Voices of Inclusive Research Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. R, founder of a nonprofit called Diverse Research. Now I want to remind all of our listeners of BIR Podcast. We are here to explore how research can serve all of us, every voice, every story, every community.

So in today's episode, we're diving into why prescreening matters and how diverse research now is using it to connect our communities to research, and most importantly, what you can do to help make sure no one is left out of discovery and healing. So let's start at the beginning. What is prescreening in research Prescreening is the first step before a study even begins, where you check to see if someone might qualify for a clinical trial.

So now that might sound simple, but in reality. This is where so many of our black and brown and underrepresented communities never get through the door. So why? You ask? Why, because no one is asking them. No one is showing up in the community to say, Hey, this child might be for you. Let's talk about it.

That's where pre-screening becomes so powerful. It gives people a chance to be seen and for researchers to save time and money by finding people who could really benefit from these studies. So at diverse research now, we keep hearing the same thing in our forms, in our chow and chats and at our health fairs.

No one ever invited me to join the study. I didn't know those trials were for us. I don't trust it. I don't know enough. So we said let's change that. We created what we call an advocate assistant prescreening, and we're working on it. This means. Trusted people from the community, folks who understand the language, the culture, the history, walk individuals through the process.

We don't just hand out a form. We have real conversations. We listen, we educate, and then if someone is interested, we help connect them to studies that they might qualify for safely. Respectfully and transparently, and let me tell you, it will work. It is working. Here's what we've learned so far from our pre-screening efforts.

People want to be part of solutions. Our community wants better treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's, lupus, and cancer. But they also want to feel respected, informed, and valued. Number two, trust is everything. When an advocate who looks like you, talks like you and cares about what you say, I'm here to walk you through this.

When they say, I'm here to walk you through this, that changes the game. Prescreening saves researchers time. This is number three. And money, and we're helping researchers stop casting a wide net and missing folks. instead, we're bringing people who are genuinely interested and likely to qualify.

The biggest barrier of the mall though is fear of the unknown. When people don't understand what a trial is, what it involves, or what rights they have, they hesitate. Prescreening gives us a chance to educate before decisions are made. Let me share a quick story from one of our events with you. A woman in her sixties said that she'd never heard of a clinical trial for memory loss, but through our prescreening, we discovered she qualified, and she said.

If it helps someone else, grandkids, I'll do it. see the community is here and they're willing to help. That's the heart of all of this work. So what's next for prescreening at diverse research now? Well, we're expanding to more communities, not just black and brown communities, but also rural areas.

And other underserved groups. we are seeking partners, funders, researchers, community leaders to help us scale this work. And we are exploring technologies to make the prescreening, easier while keeping that human advocate assistant touch there. That's important for us. Because I mean, at the end of the day, this isn't just about filling seats for us in a study, it's about health equity.

That's big for us. It's about giving our communities the power to choose research, to benefit from discovery, and to have a seat at the table. So what can you do as a listener? If you're part of a community group, faith group or senior center, please invite us for a talk. I'll come personally, for a talk to your community and if you're a researcher or a funder, partner with us.

Let's build inclusive, research systems together and. If you're someone who's just curious about clinical trials, reach out. That's what diverse research now is. Therefore, ask us questions. Your health, your voice, your participation matters in this field. so together we can break down barriers and build bridges.

One conversation, one pre screener, one trial at a time. It's really about normalizing the conversation. Thank you for tuning in to Voices of Inclusive Research today. If you found the episode today valuable, please share it with anyone, your friends or colleagues. let's keep the conversation going.

Until next time, stay informed, stay empowered, and let's stay connected.