Mural Health

Patients and caregivers often receive payment to help manage clinical trial- related hardships. But for Americans on public assistance, reportable income may threaten to disqualify them for programs such as SNAP and Medicaid. Many communities that aren’t represented in the drug development process are kept out of clinical research by an unintentional dynamic caused by our tax rules. Choosing to participate could be the same as giving up access to benefits they rely on. Mural Health is calling on Congress to add a gross income exclusion for all payments made to clinical trial participants. The exclusion would also remove reporting requirements that prevent the ~90 million Americans (~27% of the population) enrolled in a public assistance program from participating in clinical research. Learn how you can support our efforts and make a change here: https://ow.ly/LV0C50Q5BsI #ClinicalTrials #PublicAssistance #MuralHealth

New Year, New Opportunities 🙌 At Mural Health, we're making clinical trials easier through patient-centered, innovative solutions. If you feel passionate about expanding access to clinical trials, want to be part of a fast-moving team that values both people and progress, and are a kind, action-driven person – we’re hiring for the following roles: Director, Business Development Associate, Business Development Scrum Master Data Analyst Senior Engineer Associate Engineer Come help us build the next generation of clinical research participant software! Email us with your resume at careers@muralhealth.com 😁

As we know, financial barriers often deter individuals from participating in clinical trials, especially those from underrepresented and marginalized communities. We are proud to have taken part in a new article from DIA Global Forum, which applies a multi-disciplinary approach to this topic, from patient advocates, biopharma, and site management, to bioethics, IRBs, and industry suppliers - including insight from the Patient Kindness group at Mural Health, along with Mural’s co-founder and CEO, Samuel Whitaker. There’s a lot of nuance involved when you dig into the details: inconsistent compensation protocols across research systems and sites, detrimental semantic overlap (e.g. using the terms “stipend,” “reimbursement,” and “payment” interchangeably), and varying compensation models to name a few. 📖 You can read the article in full here: https://lnkd.in/e38p2Ejz

Last year, The Portrait Project by Mural Health published a story about the devastating impact of #DIPG, through the lens of Marcelo Ramalho-Ortigao (read the story here: https://hubs.ly/Q02Z-GZM0). Marcelo – a father, caregiver, infectious disease scientist, professor, and pediatric patient advocate – shared with us the loss of his beloved daughter, Juliana, to this aggressive brain tumor. It's a tragedy no family should have to endure. “We have all these kids dying every year from DIPG, a disease they call "rare." But it’s not a rare disease. It’s neglected. Because there’s very little investment in them.”  - Marcelo Ortigao via The Portrait Project by Mural Health DIPG – which primarily affects children – has remained very close to our hearts. While there is still no approved treatment or cure for DIPG, a recent article in STAT highlights research that could pave the way for future CAR-T treatment options, led by Michelle Monje of Stanford. “Monje-Deisseroth’s data are really spectacular,” said Marcela Maus, a CAR-T researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Considering the existing prognosis, the fact that she got four [tumors] with more than a 50% volume reduction — that’s pretty remarkable.” Echoing Marcelo’s sentiment about lack of investment, the article shares that Monje-Deisseroth is still in need of funding for the next trial, to generate data for approval. “The drug industry has given it little attention.” 📖 We encourage you to read the STAT article here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dkXYUE25 #DIPG #PediatricCancer #ThePortraitProject #ClinicalResearch #PatientKindness #MuralHealth

Clinical trial sponsors: How well do you know your sites and your site coordinators? If participants are the heart and soul of clinical research, then site coordinators are the lifeblood. How are you showing them kindness and supporting the many hats they wear? Kindness has a domino effect–one that we know can have a serious impact on research outcomes. Swipe through Part II of our kindness series for ideas from the Patient Kindness group at Mural Health, and check out our latest blog for more on this topic: https://hubs.ly/Q02ZH-0n0 #PatientKindness #ClinicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #MuralHealth #GiveThanks

Mural Link - a participant management platform designed for the modern world - makes it easier than ever to participate in #clinicaltrials. Sponsors and sites: book a demo to see for yourself! We'd love to connect and explore how we can support you and your participants. Click here to book a demo & learn more about us: https://hubs.ly/Q02ZcpNC0 #ClinicalResearch #MuralHealth #Patients #Caregivers

Are you a sponsor or site facilitating clinical research? If so, how are you showing #kindness toward your participants? Kindness isn’t just the right thing to do for your participants; it’s the smart thing to do for the success of your trial. Kindness boosts participant well-being, improves satisfaction, and builds TRUST in research. This contributes to better retention, compliance, and treatment outcomes. Swipe through for ideas on simple yet impactful acts of kindness, brought to you by the Patient Kindness Group at Mural Health. We consider this list non-negotiable! You can also check out our new blog for more on the power and importance of kindness in clinical research: https://hubs.ly/Q02YYccx0 #PatientKindness #ClinicalResearch #ClinicalTrials #MuralHealth

“You cannot do kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson At Mural Health, we believe kindness isn’t optional in clinical trials—it’s essential. Our Patient Kindness group brings humanity back to research by deeply listening to trial participants, supporting them through unique needs, and offering acts of kindness and real-time, around-the-clock help with travel, accommodations, and logistics. Kindness not only helps participants focus on what matters most—their health—but also makes research more effective for all. Together, let’s keep kindness at the core of clinical research. On this #WorldKindnessDay, we encourage you to read our latest blog to learn more about our Patient Kindness work, and how you can apply kindness in your own trial as a sponsor or a site! Read the blog here: https://hubs.ly/Q02Y7p_B0 #PatientKindness #ClinicalTrials #MuralHealth

Have you taken (or shared) our survey yet? At Mural Health, we are intimately familiar with the financial burden that many face to participate in a clinical trial. In this survey, we hope to learn more about the financial experience in Phase I-III clinical trials, across all conditions, including the financial expenses incurred and the financial support received (if any) during a trial. With these learnings, we can better advocate for participants to be paid and reimbursed fairly. If you or anyone you know has an experience to share, please use this link to take the survey: https://lnkd.in/eSSkyVFi Thank you in advance for your help and support! #MuralHealth #ClinicalTrials #Patients

Feedback like this is why we do what we do :) If you are a clinical trial sponsor or site looking to drastically improve your participants’ experience (and lessen the logistical load for your site coordinators), let’s connect! #MuralHealth #ClinicalTrials #Patients #Caregivers