At Reveles, our commitment to advancing health equity and patient engagement is informed and strengthened by our own personal experiences. This week, we share a story from our founder, R'Kes Starling, RPh, MBA. R’Kes's mother was his inspiration for founding the company. When she was diagnosed with a rare lung disorder a few years ago, he channeled his worry into ensuring she received the best possible care. “At that time, I was working for McKesson as vice president of specialty pharmacy and clinical research services. I knew that clinical trials provided hope to participants and the essential role they play in advancing medical knowledge, so I suggested to my mom that we find one.” Despite the potential benefits, none of his mother’s doctors had mentioned clinical trials as an option. They eventually found a suitable trial, but the research site was 1,600 miles away. Although his mother has since learned to manage her condition, the difficulties and disappointments they faced in locating and accessing a trial became a driving force behind R’Kes’s decision to start Reveles. “What about other patients and families who are less familiar with the complexities of the health care system? I realized that one of the reasons why people of color aren’t participating in clinical trials and contributing to advancements in medicine and scientific innovation is because we aren’t being asked, engaged with, or met where we are.” Today, Reveles is an AI-powered patient engagement company partnering with drug sponsors and research institutions to increase awareness and expand clinical trial access for underrepresented patients. “Engagement and education are the cornerstone of everything we do. You cannot begin a discussion about clinical trials until you have fostered a genuine connection with the community. That conversation starts with creating trust to empower people to make informed decisions. We need to shift the discussion from simply enrolling and recruiting participants for clinical trials to building interest and awareness through education. That’s the heart of Reveles.” #ClinicalTrials #PatientEngagement #HealthEquity #InnovateHealthcare #ClinicalTrialsAccess #HealthcareDisparities
R'Kes Starling, RPh, MBA Keep climbing, my brother! #Poweredbypassion
Meaningful motivation. Keep up the important work.
Compassionate Community Counts 🫶🏾
Looking great, R'Kes!
SVP at Advarra. Passionate about collaboration, change management, and improving processes in Clinical Research to improve our industry! ACRP Fellow & 2023 Chair of the Board.
1moI had no idea! I think people owe a debt of gratitude to all the people who become entrepreneurs in the clinical research site space. It's not easy (at all), and it's such an opportunity to bring clinical trials to more people in the hopes it helps them and so many more. Special love to people like R'Kes Starling, RPh, MBA, Jeff Kingsley, Jennifer Byrne, Cathy Collins, Daniel Fox, MPH, PhD, Joe Surber, Ana Marquez Fakih, MSF, Jeffrey Smyth, MS 🏳️🌈, and so many more who took on the personal financial risks to launch their sites.