Victor M. Santana, MD

I am very interested in understanding factors that affect a person’s decision to participate in clinical trials. Through our affiliate programs, I have worked closely with Dr. Carolyn Russo and Dr. Dylan Graetz to design a study in which parents of patients share their reasonings as to why they may or may not choose to participate in clinical trials. This work was inspired by a previous study I completed with Dr. Russo, which examined such barriers to participation from physicians’ perspectives. Such studies can help remove barriers and increase access to clinical trials, which will, in turn, help our patients and improve our understanding of cancers and other catastrophic diseases. Furthermore, in collaboration with Dr. Jennifer Mack at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, we are conducting a study to understand clinical trial disparities in this underserved patient population to better address these needs in adolescents and young adults.

As a clinical researcher for St. Jude Global, I am highly invested in understanding the role stigma plays in a patient’s diagnosis and subsequent care. 

In collaboration with Dr. Graetz, I am exploring how stigma, especially in pediatric patients with retinoblastoma and osteosarcoma, is perceived by the patient, their family and the health care system in which they seek treatment. Our research examines stigma in the contexts of three culturally distinct countries — Guatemala, Jordan and Zimbabwe — so that we may understand the scope of the problem. This data will allow us to develop tools to better measure and quantify stigma and develop interventions to mitigate its role in a given culture’s health care systems.

In addition to my work addressing stigma and barriers to clinical trials, I am also invested in the bidirectional influence that implementation science has when working with our global alliance partners. Through the Blinatumomab Humanitarian Access Program (BHAP), co-led by Dr. Caitlyn Duffy, countries without access to this drug, which treats acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), can petition to receive it for free. My colleagues and I then collaborate with these sites to adapt the drug to their local context through training physicians, nurses and pharmacists, gathering performance data, and learning how it can be used most effectively in resource-limited settings. Not only do programs, such as BHAP, create opportunities for our global partners to offer their patients effective care, but the data gathered also informs how we approach designing trials and administering therapies in our own context at St. Jude.