HCA & 90TEN Webinar Series
Better representation of who? Learnings from diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
Thursday, 26 September 2024, 12:30-13:30
Join this lively panel discussion to learn from our panellists about reaching different communities, top tips and key considerations for the healthcare and pharma industry.
Our panellists
- Fola Afolabi, Community Engagement Specialist and Founder of the Youth Involvement and Engagement Lab
- Denis Onyango, Programmes Director, Africa Advocacy Foundation
- Lolita McGee, Director, Head of Corporate Affairs, UK & Ireland, Bristol Myers-Squibb
Our expert panellists will share their perspectives on, insights about and approaches to community engagement, addressing the following questions:
- What does good DEI look like?
- What are the common barriers to ensuring representation in patient advocacy, and how can these be overcome?
- How can DEI principles be integrated into the daily operations where we work?
- What role do patient stories and experiences play in advancing better representation within healthcare?
- What are good practices for ensuring DEI initiatives are sustainable and not just one-time efforts?
- How can we measure the effectiveness of DEI initiatives?
This webinar forms part of a series, brought to you by the HCA and communications agency 90TEN – part of Envision Pharma Group – that facilitates in-depth knowledge-sharing and discussion across a range of patient advocacy topics.
More about our panellists
Fola Afolabi is a Community Engagement Specialist who is passionate about health promotion and inclusive engagement of local communities in research. She holds advisory and strategic project management roles at various organisations, including the Patients Association, the Neurological Alliance and the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement. Alongside this, she runs the Youth Involvement and Engagement Lab, which focuses on engaging racially minoritised communities in research.
Prior to becoming a freelance consultant, she was an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health Business Manager at the Wellcome Trust, promoting equity across the health and life sciences sector. Prior to this, she held roles as a Diversity Action Plan Co-Lead and Portfolio Manager leading the preventative health work strand at Impact on Urban Health. Her career began at Imperial College's Patient Experience Research Centre, where she creatively involved local communities in Imperial's Biomedical Research Centre.
Denis Onyango is a Director of Programmes at Africa Advocacy Foundation and oversees initiatives supporting migrants at risk or living with HIV, hepatitis, mental health, TB, mental ill-health and other health conditions, as well as those who are experiencing violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking and harmful cultural practices, e.g., female genital mutilation in the UK and the WHO European region. He has over 20 years’ experience with grassroots community health promotion work and in supporting patients living with HIV. He is involved in health policy work at national and international levels and has served on several advisory boards and policy groups.
Denis is a founding member of the “Nobody Left Outside (NLO)”, a collective of organisations working to improve health service provision for Europe’s most underserved communities, including LGTBIQ+, homeless, migrants, people who inject drugs, sex workers and prisoners. Denis’ background is in education, public health, public policy and voluntary sector management.
Lolita McGee is the Director of Corporate Affairs for Bristol Myers Squibb UK & Ireland, where she leads a team of communications specialists dedicated to corporate reputation, internal engagement, and all BMS therapy areas.
For over two decades, Lolita has held senior roles within the pharmaceutical industry, specialising in communications, patient advocacy, and policy at both consultancy and corporate levels.