SCOPE Summit 2025: Advancing Clinical Research Through Strategic Partnerships: The SGM Alliance SOGI Business Case

Image Credit: Don Tracy

Day 2 of this year’s SCOPE Summit in Orlando continued with an eye-opening discussion centered on driving progress for sexual and gender minority (SGM) inclusion in clinical research. Titled “Advancing Clinical Research Through Strategic Partnerships: The SGM Alliance SOGI Business Case”, the panel highlighted the ethical and competitive advantages of inclusivity in clinical trials.

Moderated by Garo Kiledjian, founder and CEO of SGM Alliance, the panel featured Lisa Moneymaker, SVP of strategic customer engagement at Medidata; Craig Davenport, senior director of site engagement at Eli Lilly; and Jimmy Bechtel, VP of site engagement at the Society for Clinical Research Sites.

Kicking off the discussion, Kiledjian asked the panelists to share their perspectives on the competitive advantages of fostering inclusivity in clinical trials and how their respective industries approach this challenge.

“I think the fact that we are collecting the data that we are makes it clear that we are interested in including all patients,” said Davenport. "If we include exclusionary criteria in our protocol but fail to collect relevant patient information, we send a clear message that certain communities are not welcome. We’re trying to expand access.”

Davenport emphasized that representation in clinical trials is not just an ethical imperative—it also drives better science. A lack of diversity in trials can skew data and limit the generalizability of treatments. He pointed out that inclusive trial design and comprehensive data collection are critical for developing therapies that benefit all patients, including those from historically underserved communities.

Bechtel built on this point, underscoring the operational and competitive implications of inclusive research. He stressed that beyond ethical considerations, sites that prioritize inclusivity position themselves as leaders in the industry. Recruiting SGM patients requires strategic planning, cultural competency, and strong community engagement, all of which can help sites develop a reputation for excellence.

“If you tackle both of those aspects, you’re able to demonstrate your site is capable of doing these things and that you’re genuinely concerned about it,” said Bechtel. “From there, you’ll be able to recruit those patients a little bit more effectively. We want to reach an entire population of patients and make sure certain populations are more comfortable with clinical research as an enterprise in general, which is good for the sites. That will then translate to their ability to get more trials because they’re speeding the rate at which they can recruit, and they're recruiting the broader patient population, regardless of what requirements are associated with the clinical trial.”

Moneymaker then offered her perspective from a technology and data management standpoint, noting that technology vendors play a crucial role in ensuring inclusivity efforts are effective and scalable. She emphasized that companies must be proactive in assessing their internal systems and adapting to evolving sponsor and regulatory expectations.

“As our customers expand their definition of demographics, as we expand the definition of subject characteristics, can all of our systems do the same?” asked Moneymaker. “Will our data flow be able to differentiate or support the growing needs of these trials? How can we support the data collection that's necessary for the clinical trial design? Our models can only analyze the data we collect; if we fail to capture relevant information, we limit our insights. This is imperative to the future of how we support our sponsors and CROs in designing and executing more inclusive clinical trials.”

Moneymaker also pointed out that inclusive trial design requires more than just better recruitment practices—it demands robust technology solutions that can handle increasingly complex and dynamic data sets.

“By linking these capabilities, we can help customers collect data effectively and leverage it for future predictions, creating a true competitive advantage,” she concluded.