Bristol Myers Squibb partners with Institute for Healthcare Improvement to increase cancer trial participation

Bristol Myers Squibb has entered a three-year collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement called the Cancer Collective Action Collaborative.

The program will bring together 24 teams from across the health‑care system to tackle barriers that limit trial enrollment for groups that experience higher cancer rates, such as Black patients and people living in rural areas.

IHI noted that breast cancer mortality is higher among Black women and lung cancer mortality is higher among Black men, and that rural residents face longer travel distances and fewer oncologists. The partnership will use a four-step approach to identify and reduce these disparities.

Shannon Stephens, interim vice president of health equity at IHI, said removing trial barriers is both an imperative and an opportunity, and that valuing patients' lived experience alongside clinical expertise can improve trial access.