Medical Pioneers: Meet Donna Matlach, asthma research study participant
Donna Matlach is on a mission to increase participation in clinical trials. For nine years, Donna has lived with severe asthma and has suffered three near-death experiences. This prompted her to embark on a national search for relief — after visiting 28 doctors in 12 hospitals, she enrolled in an asthma research study, and the drug she received saved her life. Hear the account of her story below:
Why participate in clinical trials?
Despite stories like Donna’s, medical research study participation remains low in the United States, causing 80% of medical research studies to experience delays or close completely. Case in point: Research on the medication Donna credits with saving her life was delayed for nine years. As a result, it almost never made it through the approvals process.
Fortunately, individuals can help researchers find new treatment options by volunteering for a clinical trial. For those still not convinced medical research participation is the right choice, consider two pieces of advice from Donna:
- Become your own advocate. Patients have the unique opportunity to do research and learn about potential therapies for their condition. Take advantage of that and don’t take no for an answer.
- Have patience. It might take some time to find the right trial, but search regularly and sign up for new alerts to see what's available.
Ready to start looking for a trial? Get started below.
