Kevin Knopf MD, MPH is Division Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Highland Hospital, Oakland, California. He is also a health economist and health services researcher whose research focuses on cost-effectiveness, patterns and quality of care in oncology, and health disparities in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment. He trained at the National Cancer Institute Medicine Branch and the Health Services and Economics Research Branch after receiving an undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He completed his clinical training at Northwestern Medical School, Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and received an MPH in Epidemiology and Statistics at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He is currently Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Francisco and and a member of the Institute for Health Policy as well as an Associate Professor of Pharmaco-economics at the University of South Carolina School of Pharmacy. Twitter: @drkevinknopf
Investment in underserved communities benefits trial sponsors, site hosts, and most importantly, patients. The impact of relationship building within underserved communities can not be underestimated. In order to improve rates of enrollment and trial awareness and to dispel mistrust in patient populations from this community, stakeholders must understand the crucial importance of forging a long lasting relationships rather than short term incentives for trial participation.