Outreach in 2023: Happenings in Patient Education, Global Programs, and DEI

The ASGCT Outreach team is made up of Patient Education, Global programs, and Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI). The committed Outreach staff, along with many other dedicated member-volunteers and stakeholders, worked hard on these three focus areas to offer educational opportunities, reach affected communities, and expand the impact of the Society. Here is just a glimpse of some of the exciting Outreach happenings from 2023!

Patient Education

The goal of the Patient Education program is to provide accurate and reliable information to the patient/advocate audience. In collaboration with the Patient Outreach Committee in 2023, we: 

• Hit 1 million views on our collection of 30+ patient education videos!

• Released a new Cell Therapy Basics unit to expand our 101 education on gene and cell therapies.

• Launched Community Quick Takes, a new format offering short (five-minute) videos with insights on timely topics! The first Quick Take is now available on Informed Consent.

• Averaged 1,075 visits per month on our Clinical Trials Finder and released new user-friendly features like a simplified search function that allows viewers to bookmark a set of filters, receive alerts for trials, and more!

• Hosted four live virtual Lunch & Learn events that attracted 400+ registrants and 4,000+ on-demand views. Nine Lunch & Learn events from last year also gained another 30,000 on-demand views!

  • Meet the Patients 

  • Recently Approved Therapies  

  • Intro to Non-viral Vectors  

  • Roadblocks to Developing a Treatment 

At the 2023 Annual Meeting we hosted the first Patient Advocate Connection Luncheon, along with a workshop and symposium tailored for this audience. There were 70 individuals who took advantage of our Patient Advocate Complimentary Registration program - Apply here to join us at this year's Annual Meeting!  

Global Outreach  

The goal of Global Outreach is to foster equitable access to gene and cell therapies in low- and middle-income countries through partnered educational programming with local institutions. These efforts are led in collaboration with the Global Outreach Committee.  

Award-winning Global Gene Therapy Training Course  

In partnership with the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania we ran a live, virtual eight-module course again last fall. Building off the pilot program from last year, this program continued to exceed our expectations. We:  

• Received the ASAE Power of Associations Gold Award in the global development category for the 2022 pilot course.  

• Published course outcomes in a Molecular Therapy editorial.

• Awarded 50 certificates to participants who met course expectations from 11 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Around the World

We hosted two live virtual events that attracted 240+ registrations and 1,300+ on-demand views highlighting gene therapy research in China and Australia:

• Advancing Gene and Cell Therapies in China 

• Gene Therapy for the Liver, Eye, and Hematopoietic System in Australia 

The Coalition of International Gene Therapy Societies was established as a space to foster collaboration among the many gene therapy societies around the world working toward the same mission. So far, there have been two meetings with five participating societies:  

• American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 

• Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society 

• Brazilian Association of Cell and Gene  

• European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 

• Japanese Society of Gene and Cell Therapy 

At the 2023 Annual Meeting we hosted the first Global Gathering Breakfast, a networking event dedicated to international audiences!  

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

The goal of our DEI efforts is to increase diversity and inclusion in the field of gene and cell therapy by creating opportunities for underserved populations, strengthening the career pipeline, and expanding the understanding of DEI issues. These efforts are led in collaboration with the DEI Committee.  

Biotech Discovery Labs: Teacher Training and Classroom Experience 

In July, 16 high school teachers participated in the week-long in-person training in six biology labs. More than 500 students from low-resource schools in Milwaukee, WI have been exposed to these labs so far this school year! From the survey of last summer’s training, teachers gave a 9.5/10 for a high likelihood they would use the information in their classroom. 

We’re excited to begin recruiting for our 2024 cohort of teachers in the coming months and continuing to offer enhanced science education opportunities to underserved students. This program is made possible by grant funded support from Bristol Myers Squibb.  

One participant told us: “It was incredibly well-designed by teachers and for teachers. I appreciated that it was hands-on so we could experience and make more memorable the activities. The activities covered a wide-spectrum of levels of complexity and I will be able to use them in my ninth grade biology classes as well as the more advanced IB Biology classes. I deeply appreciate that ASGCT is specifically targeting Milwaukee Public Schools for this outreach. This is the best professional development I've ever done.” 

Awards

 We awarded $150,000 in grant funding for research and career development:  

• Underrepresented Minority Fellowship Award in Gene and Cell Therapy for Oncology 

• Research on Conditions Affecting Minorities  

At the 2023 Annual Meeting we hosted the first Women in Gene and Cell Therapy Reception to recognize the important contributions of women to the field. It was very well received and we hope you’ll join us again at this event in 2024!  

A huge THANK YOU goes out to our incredible members who volunteer their time and expertise to help us move along all these initiatives—you are appreciated and a joy to work with! If you’re a member interested in getting involved, consider applying to serve on the Patient Outreach Committee, Global Outreach Committee, or DEI Committee!  

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