Dr. Lovie Negrin, APRN, FNP-C, AG ACNP
In her daily efforts, Dr. Negrin is a double board-certified clinical research nurse practitioner working in both acute care and family medicine. Having seen low participation from racial and ethnic minority communities compiled with a lack of diverse representation in medical staff overseeing clinical research efforts, she switched gears from an academic/institutional environment to open a community-focused clinical research site called Randomize Now.
Author: Katherine Cornish
Randomize Now is a medical research center near Atlanta, GA that specializes in hosting clinical trials that target racial and ethnic groups that are typically underrepresented in research participant populations. At Randomize Now, Dr. Negrin highlights that education, accessibility, and cultural competency are key drivers of their work in increasing clinical trial participation by underrepresented populations. As a site director, she oversees the clinical research staff at the site and supports trials as a sub-investigator or nurse practitioner.
Sharing her thoughts on representation in clinical research, she notes how important it is for patients to “see someone who looks like them at the bedside.” “There is a lot of fear in the Black community when it comes to clinical research,” she says, “so for them to see someone who looks and sounds like them, who is going to advocate for them, who is going to say ‘these are the things we’ve done to make sure Tuskegee doesn’t happen again’ …that’s what gives me the passion behind what I’m doing.” Acknowledging previous wrongs in scientific research is important, but focusing on how the medical field has corrected the way it operates is most beneficial in helping patients break that barrier of fear. “I try to always take things from the angle of the patient,” she shares.
“To see an (older) Black man or woman contact me and say ‘I want to know about your initiatives,’ it is just the most satisfying thing… they want to participate, they’re educating their families… it’s so important.”
Dr. Lovie Negrin, APRN, FNP-C, AG ACNP
Through her experience in clinical research, Dr. Negrin calls out that it’s overwhelming to try to solve every barrier for every underserved population and that it often isn’t effective to engage in sweeping attempts that might not be relevant or beneficial for everyone equally. “We’re not the only minority or underserved population,” she notes, “but the Black community is my niche… it’s my area of expertise… we all have to take a small part of this ocean.” Working together with other physicians who are actively engaged with other populations, she underlines the importance of working together to solve these broad challenges bit-by-bit.
Dr. Negrin highlights the importance of outreach initiatives and community engagement in increasing trial participation by underserved or historically excluded populations. She shares that it’s particularly helpful to have a presence at events where other organizations that provide housing support, financial assistance, insurance services and similar aid mechanisms since these events often bring in a lot of attendees who fall into the category of underserved and underrepresented. Events like these also end up being a great way for her research site to meet and engage with other community organizations, often resulting in additional outreach partnerships and engagement opportunities.
When asked what she finds most fulfilling
about her role, Dr. Negrin highlights how rewarding it is for her to see
older adult populations (i.e., over the age of 60 years), especially
those in the Black community, ask about participating in clinical
research. She also underscores the importance of intersectionality in
underrepresented populations and how challenging it often can be to
engage these individuals in clinical
research. “To see an (older) Black man or woman contact me and say ‘I
want to know about your initiatives,’ it is just the most satisfying
thing… they want to participate, they’re educating their families…
it’s so important,” she says.