What opportunities can our program unlock for you? Let’s hear from a recent alumnus in our first alumni spotlight!
Erik Harden graduated from the Health Advocacy program in 2018 and has been on track to accomplishing his career goals ever since. Currently, he has two roles at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City– he is the Administrator for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Community Oncology Research Program (NCORP), and he is a Breast Oncology Senior Clinical Research Manager.One goal Harden strives to accomplish in his work is to advocate for underrepresented communities. ‘I look for trials that will increase minority representativeness in cancer research’
According to Harden, the NCORP operationalizes the federal government’s cancer clinical trials program while also fostering federal exploration into newer cancer research areas that include prevention and epidemiology, symptom control and quality of life, and survivorship and cancer-care delivery research. As the NCORP Administrator, he works with clinicians and non-clinicians to identify the best trials for their patient population, supervise staff implementation of these trials, and look for areas of new growth.
As a Breast Oncology Senior Clinical Research Manager, he works alongside breast oncologists to find industry and federal trials that are best for their breast cancer patient population while also helping the breast oncologists conceptualize and develop their own research. He also supervises staff who operationalize these breast trials daily.
When asked about a particular course at Sarah Lawrence College that he uses in his current work, he said that learning about the Affordable Care Act and other alternatives have allowed him to help patients who have difficult healthcare situations. ‘While Research Methods for Advocacy seems the obvious choice, I use the information I learned in Health Care Policy daily.’
One goal Harden strives to accomplish in his work is to advocate for underrepresented communities. “I look for trials that will increase minority representativeness in cancer research,” he said. There are many vital reasons why increasing diverse representation in clinical trials is paramount. Clinical trials with diverse representation help ensure that results can be applied to a broader patient population. This is important because different racial and ethnic groups may respond differently to treatments due to genetic differences. Additionally, when people from a variety of backgrounds see that they are included in clinical trials, it builds trust in the healthcare system and the research process. This can include racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. Harden supports women’s health by selecting studies that focus on clinical trials for women and works to increase minority community representation in these trials. For example, some trials he has chosen for the hospital prolong life expectancy for those with metastatic cancer.