RALEIGH, N.C., July 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INC Research Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:INCR), a leading, global Phase I to IV contract research organization, together with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), a non-profit organization dedicated to engaging the public and patients as partners in the clinical research process, today announced cancer “thriver” (reflecting her triumph over cancer and striving to live the best life possible following diagnosis) and clinical research advocate Jameisha Brown will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon event being held Sept. 27-28 at District Hall in Boston. Ms. Brown will open the event with her keynote address, “Living Proof of the Power of Clinical Research,” sharing her own personal story of battling cancer, her inspiration for hope and her first-hand experiences as a patient participating in clinical research.
For the last two years, Jameisha “Meisha” Brown, M.S., CHES has been selected as a “Cancer Advocate,” one of the youngest in the history of the American Association for Cancer Research, the oldest, largest and most comprehensive cancer research professional organization. She has had the distinct privilege of sharing her cancer journey, community advocacy and research interests as a nationally-recognized inspirational speaker on numerous platforms and media outlets. Ms. Brown is pursuing a PhD in health education and a certificate in non-profit management at Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas and is a Health Disparities Research Fellow at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. She also serves as the Managing Chief Equipping Officer (CEO) of the Total Temple Transformation (T3) Health & Wellness Ministry at Windsor Village United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. Her research interests include health disparities research — cancer control, HIV/AIDS in the southern U.S. region and racial/ethnic diversity in clinical research participation.
"We are delighted to have Meisha as our keynote speaker," said Clare Grace, PhD, Vice President, Site and Patient Access, INC Research. "Our goal for the ‘Inspiring Hope’ ideathon is to discover new ways to work together as an industry to raise awareness of clinical trials and encourage participation in clinical research. I can think of no better person to inspire than Meisha. Her story is an inspiration to many and we look forward to hearing her share her own clinical research experience."
“The ‘Inspiring Hope’ Ideathon is an exciting approach to gather innovative, new ways to improve clinical research literacy and to raise greater public awareness of clinical trials,” said Ken Getz, CISCRP’s Founder and Board Chair. “We are pleased to feature Jameisha’s story and hope it will inspire creative ideas and novel solutions that address patient and public engagement and education.”
Idea applications for the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon are being accepted now through Aug. 8, 2016, and will be evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, sustainability and impact. Submitted applications will be shortlisted and finalists will be invited to the Ideathon event Sept. 27-28 in Boston, where they will collaborate live with a multifunctional team in a crowd-solving-type environment to further develop and ultimately present their solution to an expert judging panel. The 2016 “Inspiring Hope” Award winner will be named at the conclusion of the event and INC Research along with CISCRP will work together with the winning team to progress the chosen idea into a viable solution.
To learn more about participation in the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon, please visit www.inspiring-hope-ideathon.com or follow us on social media at #ideas4patients.
About CISCRP
The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) is a first-of-its-kind nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and informing the public, patients, medical/research communities, the media, and policy makers about clinical research and the role each party plays in the process. CISCRP provides free education and outreach to the general public and patient communities. Visit www.CISCRP.org for more information or to support CISCRP.
About INC Research
INC Research (Nasdaq:INCR) is a leading global contract research organization ("CRO") providing the full range of Phase I to Phase IV clinical development services for the biopharmaceutical and medical device industries. Leveraging the breadth of our service offerings and the depth of our therapeutic expertise across multiple patient populations, INC Research connects customers, clinical research sites and patients to accelerate the delivery of new medicines to market. The Company was named “Best Contract Research Organization” in December 2015 by an independent panel for Scrip Intelligence, and ranked “Top CRO to Work With” among large global CROs in the 2015 CenterWatch Global Investigative Site Relationship Survey. INC Research is headquartered in Raleigh, NC, with operations across six continents and experience spanning more than 110 countries. For more information, please visit www.incresearch.com and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @inc_research.