ConcertAI Issues $100,000 in ERACE Research Award Grants to Further Research into Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cancer Care

Cambridge, Mass., December 16, 2021 – ConcertAI, LLC (ConcertAI), a leader in enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and Real-world Evidence (RWE) solutions for life science companies and healthcare providers, announced today the issuing of its first ERACE research award grants to Dr. Samuel L. Washington III of the University of California, San Francisco and Dr. Sarah Markt of Case Western Reserve University, both oncology researchers, in the amount of $50,000 each. 

Engaging Research to Achieve Cancer Care Equality (ERACE) is a program that ConcertAI launched in 2020 to further equitable access, care, and outcomes for patients through the use of Real-world Data (RWD) and advanced technologies. The grants were created to support early-stage career oncology researchers with monetary support and open access to one of the most comprehensive cancer patient datasets in the United States over one year. Recipients were selected based on the impact, feasibility, and creativity of their research, along with their history of research projects and publications related to cancer disparities.  

Dr. Washington will examine drivers of racial disparities in the management of advanced prostate cancer, leveraging RWD from ConcertAI that is linked to state-level measures of socioeconomic factors and healthcare resources. To date, research has failed to examine how relationships between patients’ personal factors, facility characteristics and regional healthcare resources exacerbate disparities for advanced prostate cancer.  

“I’m grateful to have received this award from ConcertAI,” said Dr. Washington. “The project will allow for a closer examination of relationships between potentially critical factors that prior research has only studied individually and independently, rather than as interconnected pieces of the larger picture of racial disparities in advanced prostate cancer treatment on overall survival for Black men with prostate cancer.” 

Dr. Markt will also use ConcertAI’s patient registry to determine the factors that affect the racial and gender disparities present in bladdercancer diagnosis and treatment. Through the research, Dr. Markt will work to better understand potential inequalities in receipt of appropriate first-line therapy, adverse events, somatic genetic testing, and outcomes among patients with bladder cancer.  

“I’m honored to have received this recognition from ConcertAI,” Dr. Markt said. “Disparities in bladder cancer treatment and outcomes are very poorly understood, and it’s likely that they’re multifactorial. ConcertAI’s RWD registry provides the unique opportunity to at least start uncovering where they exist and who they affect, creating insights that could, ultimately, improve the quality and equity of bladder cancer care.” 

As required under grant terms, Dr. Washington and Dr. Markt will publish the results of their research at their studies’ conclusions. 

“We were humbled by the quantity and quality of submissions we received – it is clear that the areas of racial and ethnic inequities in healthcare treatment and research are of the highest interest and relevance. We are pleased to be able to work with Drs. Markt and Washington in assurance of their research,” said Jeff Elton, PhD, CEO of ConcertAI. “Earlier this year, the FDA announced an increased focus on using RWD and RWE to support health outcomes, and we believe that this research, enabled with ConcertAI RWD and advanced AI SaaS technologies, is aligned to those goals.” 

“Through ERACE, what was once an idea is now a national reality and helpful resource to researchers across the nation,” said Warren Whyte, PhD, who leads ERACE and is the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Customer Success at ConcertAI. “Any researcher with a computer can have open access to our tools to fuel future discoveries in cancer disparities research. Our biggest hope is that Dr. Washington and Dr. Markt will accelerate our collective understanding of these disparities, why they exist in certain populations, and in turn, help facilitate much-needed solutions to combat them”. 

About ConcertAI

ConcertAI is the leader in Real-World Evidence (RWE) and AI technology solutions for life sciences and health care. Our mission is to accelerate insights and outcomes for patients through leading real-world data, AI technologies, and scientific expertise in partnership with the leading biomedical innovators, health care providers, and medical societies. For more information, visit us at http://www.concertai.com.