Bringing research to the East London Muslim community
The Barts Health Cancer Research Delivery team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital organised a community-focused event with the London Muslim Centre in East London to tackle disparities in participation rates of various backgrounds in our clinical trials and expand their reach within this underrepresented communities.
The event was highly interactive, allowing participants to engage in a mock clinical trial that covered crucial topics such as cancer awareness, clinical trial types and processes, treatment options, and myths and facts about cancer and clinical trials.
Aisha Kalyal, clinical trials assistant said: “The Barts Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) serves one of the most ethnically diverse and socio-economically disadvantaged populations in the UK. The team counts with a variety of geographical backgrounds, bringing a wide range of perspectives and experiences, reflecting the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in all aspects of its work.”
To achieve a multidisciplinary approach and to bridge the gap between healthcare professionals and the local Muslim community, the event took place in collaboration with the Trust’s paediatric, advocacy and chaplaincy teams, Maggie’s charity as well as incorporating the wisdom and experience on community activities of our Senior CRUK Research Nurse Network to ensure the event’s success.
“It was important for the event to be inclusive and accessible to all. To ensure this and a culturally sensitive environment, we created an area that separated male and female participants to allow personal discussions from participants.
“Additionally, there was language support for participants who needed it, to foster a more inclusive atmosphere. All Barts chaplaincy team were also present to support bridging the gap between healthcare professionals and the local Muslim community,” said Maria Lapuente, lead oncology research nurse.
Activities were also set up to involve families and engage the younger generation in science and research. Activities such as drawing, colouring, scientific crosswords, and hands-on lab experiments where kids could pipette orange juice samples were set up for children.
For teenagers and younger adults, there were stalls that focused on career advice in research. Here, younger participants, particularly those interested in science, had the chance to engage directly with the team about career prospects.
The event saw a high turnout, with participants ranging in age from children to over 70 years old. With more than 80% of the participants from Asian British Bangladeshi background, representing one of our largest communities in East London.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with more than 90% of attendees expressing interest in attending future events.
Sultana Begum lead clinical trial practitioner added: “We continue to deepen our connection with our local communities through events like this, I want to thank all of the Barts Cancer Research team, who designed and delivered all of the activities. Their enthusiasm and passion were key to making this event fun and successful.
“This event taught me a lot about my own local community and I felt proud that I could contribute to better their understanding and awareness of cancer and clinical trials. Working with the advocacy and chaplaincy team helped me understand the importance of collaboration as we all face similar challenges to achieve a common goal of caring and informing our communities. I will definitely participate in organising future events like this.”