Cari Gallman 
By Cari Gallman, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb ·Updated December 19, 2023
I joined Bristol Myers Squibb almost nine years ago because I was personally moved by the company’s commitment to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines for patients. BMS is in the business of changing patients’ lives by providing them with crucial medications, many literally lifesaving. And we recognize that medicine alone is not enough.
To truly make an impact, we must improve so many aspects in the continuum of care and create an equitable environment for patients to thrive.
Doing so requires thoughtful, innovative solutions on the part of the entire healthcare industry, including pharmaceutical manufacturers like BMS — from prioritizing inclusive practices to reimagining systems that address the root cause of inequities. Our goal is to deliver medicines to the patients who need and will benefit from them, regardless of where they live, how much money they have, their ethnicity or the color of their skin.
Economic empowerment is a key component of equitable access.Together with our growing network of partners and suppliers, BMS is working to help address some of the social determinants of health – unemployment and job insecurity, housing, food insecurity and discrimination, among others.
One of our most important accomplishments in this area has been our small business and supplier diversity outreach efforts to drive economic empowerment in the global communities where we live, work and serve. We’ve already surpassed our aspirational goal to spend $1 billion with these businesses to create jobs and generate positive economic impact.
Key to closing the health disparities gap is helping to close the economic gap so that accessing medicine or seeking treatment becomes a given, not a variable.
Diversity in clinical trials is one critical step toward creating health equity.
Consider this: Black men are 50 percent more likely than White men to develop prostate cancer, and twice as likely to die from it. Yet clinical trials for prostate cancer treatments historically enroll just nine percent Black men. For a clinical trial to be successful, it must reflect the diversity of the affected patient population. This is a moral and a scientific imperative.
We know that too many patients are being left behind, and it is essential that we ensure today’s medicines work to overcome disease for everyone who needs them.
To address the growing importance of healthy equity, BMS committed $150 million in 2020 to support the establishment of clinical trials over the next 5 years in communities often underrepresented given disease prevalence.
But it’s not as simple as the voice instructs in “Field of Dreams.” If you build it, they may not necessarily come. We must first develop trust in communities historically resistant to signing up for trials. Working alongside community- and faith-based organizations, BMS is committed to delivering programs that meet patients where they are.
Patients need more than just access, though – they need awareness and the ability to advocate for themselves.
Knowledge is power. We hear that all the time, and it is applicable across all areas of our health. Without knowledge of issues, people cannot seek treatment. That makes education a critical component of achieving health equity and BMS is committed to this mission:
•Working with Black Health Matters, BMS designed trials and created educational and recruitment materials that resulted in double the number of Black men enrolled in prostate cancer trials.•BMS’ Standing in the GaaP program produces a variety of educational materials on multiple myeloma, shares information across social media, supports speaker programs and establishes a regular presence at medical congresses.•To raise symptom awareness for atrial fibrillation and deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism, BMS created the No Time to Wait campaign and works to educate patients about potentially serious outcomes associated with these conditions.
While these achievements are significant progress, we know more work remains to educate, bridge gaps and drive health equity now and in the future – and BMS is ready to serve.
Patients are waiting, and they deserve the very best. As an industry, as a company, as individuals with loved ones in need of care… we must deliver.
Please visit BMS online to learn more about their commitment to health equity and more.
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