Novartis expands partnership with HBCUs, adds Sanofi and Merck

Building on a $33.7 million commitment announced last year, Novartis is pledging a further $17.7 million to its Beacon of Hope initiative, a 10-year collaboration with 26 HBCUs and medical schools, Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Coursera and the National Medical Association.

Beacon of Hope aims to address racial health disparities by increasing diversity among clinical trial participants and investigators, improving access to jobs in the biomedical field for students at historically Black colleges and universities, and addressing inherent bias in the data standards used to diagnose and treat disease, as well as environmental and climate issues that disproportionately affect the health of communities of color. ...