Keep Cup Campaign Launch
The event launched an awareness initiative which aims to thank patients and recognize their contribution to the discovery of better health.
‘The Keep Cup Campaign’ puts the clinical trial patient in the driver’s seat. Patients that have participated in trials understand what’s involved and can be a great source of knowledge to other people in the community. However, not many patients can fathom the broader impact of their participation and don’t really recognize themselves as partners in the discovery of better health.
The Keep Cup campaign aims to help patients recognise their role and their value in the discovery of new therapeutic interventions and to also thank them. We believe that patients who understand the vital role they play and that feel appreciated make stronger advocates in the community. The Keep cup campaign provides patients with a tool (The Keep Cup- #iwearawhitecoat) to join the awareness movement.
Our event location was in a hospital. We believe that a clinical setting is apt for engaging both patients and the visiting public’s thinking about clinical trials. The mindset of health is a priority.
There were two components to our event- a foyer set up to target the visiting hospital community and a Thank You Session” in the hospital that united patients with a variety of key stakeholders for a session of recognition, admissions and thank yous.
The Thank You Session
As humans, all our experiences are told through stories. This is what connects us. Our incredible panellists shared their stories and acknowledged patients as partners in the discovery process. The stories shared were real, they were honest, and they were inspiring.
Our Panel consisted of :
- Dr Louise Murdoch Principal Investigator Emeritus Research
- Tim Green Director and Head of Research and Clinical Bioanalytics, CSL
- Carrie Bloomfield Associate Director, Clinical Research GSK
- Helen Aunedi, Country Head, Clinical Operations Roche
- Richard Verrelli Head of Operations, Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital
- Facilitator: Dr Tam Nguyen Deputy Director of Research, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne
The Foyer – Keep Cup Giveaways and Conversations
We thought the foyer stand in the hospital was ideal to continue the awareness from the morning as the mindset of the visiting hospital community is on health and getting better. We anticipated that we would be able to have more meaningful interactions compared to a general public setting where people are not as focused on wellness/illness prevention. We opted for a more targeted approach to our awareness.
The response was wonderful. We had many a conversation with clinical trial participants and health workers in the space. We also had the opportunity to spread the awareness message by handing out Keep Cups and talking about the importance of clinical trials in the community.
