Access Advocate for Clinical Research Participation
Access Advocate for Clinical Research Participation supports clinical sites in implementing and evaluating advocacy to improve inclusive enrollment and retention in Parkinson’s disease research.
Funder: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
Due Dates: May 11, 1:00 p.m. US ET (Q&A session) | May 15, 2:00 p.m. US ET (Q&A session)
Funding Amounts: Supports implementation and evaluation of Access Advocates at clinical sites
Summary: Supports a Parkinson’s disease-focused Access Advocate model to improve inclusive research enrollment and retention.
Key Information: Sites must be in the US or Canada and have active or planned interventional Parkinson’s disease clinical trials.
Description
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) supports implementation and evaluation of a Parkinson’s disease (PD)-focused Access Advocate model designed to increase inclusive research participation. Funding supports advocates at clinical sites who build practical, relationship-based pathways to more representative research enrollment and retention.
The program focuses on clinic- and trial-connected access advocacy rather than broad community outreach. Priorities include clearly defined advocate roles, appropriate training and supervision, and repeatable workflows for identifying potential participants, assessing barriers, connecting people to resources, and providing follow-up. MJFF also prioritizes evaluation of recruitment, retention, barriers, and site-relevant health system outcomes, particularly advocates’ effects on participation by underrepresented groups. Cross-site learning is intended to help sites share insights and improve the model.
