“When we think about the work that DAWN does, we lead with inclusion,” says Tinamarie Duff, global lead, people & business resource group for DAWN (Disability Advancement Workplace Network), Bristol Myers Squibb.

WorkingNation sat down with Duff at 2022 Disability:IN Conference in Dallas.

She says, “The purpose of DAWN is to create a culture and environment that is inclusive of our employees and our patients who have disabilities and those in caregiver roles.”

“We lean in and focus on three areas which are retaining and attracting talent with disabilities, lifting and reducing stigma around disabilities, and promoting health equity for people with disabilities,” says Duff who says she has several non-visible disabilities including ADHD.

In a just announced initiative, Bristol Myers Squibb – in collaboration Disability Solutions –launched the Disability Diversity in Clinical Trials (DDiCT).

In a statement, the company says, “This new initiative aligns with Bristol Myers Squibb’s broader inclusion and diversity health equity commitments to address health disparities, clinical trial diversity, supplier diversity, employee giving, and workforce representation between 2020 and 2025.”

Duff says, “There’s data that shows that traditionally people with disabilities – about 40% of us – are excluded from clinical trials for one reason or another. It could be the way the clinical trial is designed. It could be the accessibility of the trial site. It could be an ableist bias towards a person with a disability.’

“When we think about the goal to have real world data reflective of our population when 25% of our population has a disability, it’s important that we’re counted and reflected within a trial.”

Learn more about Bristol Myers Squibb.
Watch more interviews from the Disability:IN conference.