As Javara commemorates its fourth anniversary, we’re celebrating its rapid growth, dedication to innovative medical research and inclusive health equity in local communities.
A New Research Model is Born in North Carolina
North Carolina has a long history in manufacturing, textiles and tobacco. These remnants are still visible among the newly paved streets and renovated historic buildings and factories in the Innovation Quarter—and across Winston-Salem and the entire state.
Yet, when those industries began to decline, a pioneering push to break into technology research, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, initiated a new and thriving industry in the Tar Heel State. And the beginnings of Research Triangle Park.
Today, a home-grown company that laid down roots in the Innovation Quarter named Javara is paving the way for our local community and the entire region to establish itself as a clinical trial and medical research hub. One that plugs into existing synergies between the healthcare and biotech sectors, the state and local communities—and one that will expedite and advance medical care options equitably for all patients.
A Vision of Innovation and Integration
Javara partners with large healthcare organizations in local communities across the country to integrate clinical research into clinical care, transforming healthcare and changing lives by making clinical trials available on the menu of care options for all patients.
Co-founded in 2018 by Jennifer Byrne, Amanda Wright and Linda McCarty, Javara has grown exponentially over the last four years. When they celebrate their fourth birthday on April 18, 2022, they will have gone from operating clinical trials in a single location in Houston, Texas to conducting clinical trials across three healthcare partners and more than 50 locations. At the end of its first year, Javara had seven employees. Today, they have nearly 200, enabling them to further realize their mission of advancing access to research for all.
“We launched Javara as the result of not just recognizing the need to reimagine clinical research but the conviction that it could be a reality. While I am immensely grateful for our team and extremely proud of our accomplishments in a mere four years, there is still tremendous work to be done in building more bridges that connect physicians and patients to clinical trials.”
—Amanda Wright, co-founder and CDO
Winston-Salem is Home to the First IRO
The Integrated Research Organization (IRO) is a model that enables clinical research access in the healthcare setting, removing many of the barriers that preclude clinical trial participation and positively impacting cost, reliability of data and health outcomes.
As the very first IRO, Javara has developed a unique and efficient approach to ensuring clinical trials are readily accessible as care options through the healthcare organizations and providers that patients already know and trust.
Traditional clinical research models often keep everyone in their lanes—with researchers in one, medical professionals in another, and patients either unaware or left to navigate independently.
Javara has built a clinical trial framework that introduces efficiencies across the research process at scale. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. This model flexes to meet each healthcare partner’s unique needs by working within existing systems and electronic health records (EHR).
Because there is an urgent need to involve more physicians in clinical research and to train the next generation of clinical trial investigators to reach more patients through participation opportunities, Javara’s IRO model also helps address industry shortages while ensuring patients have access to all available care options.
“Javara has been—and continues to be—an excellent partner in clinical research. They provide organized, efficient, research staff and invaluable support that has made it very easy for investigators like myself to do large, complicated studies and bring clinical trials to more patients at the point of care.”
—John Sanders, MD, MPH, Javara Principal Investigator, Chief of Infectious Diseases, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Javara’s IRO model creates an environment for research to thrive—accelerating trial access, removing barriers that slow or stop research and improving the overall experience for enhanced satisfaction and retention among patients and practitioners.
Diversifying Clinical Research for the Greater Good
Clinical research has changed the world, but we can, and must, do more. As a pioneer of Clinical Research As A Care Option (CRAACO), Javara is working to ensure clinical trials become available for all.
By introducing patients to clinical research through their trusted provider, the clinical trial journey becomes an organic and integral part of a patient’s overall healthcare experience. Furthermore, it ensures the industry has access to more diverse patients, which increases the quality and applicability of the data generated.
“Participating in clinical research, to me, means contributing to the future in a very purposeful way. I believe that if we all work to advance science, we all benefit. I suppose I have reached the age where I see the impact of such studies, and I am honored to be a part of bettering the human existence. Clinical research is an exciting, continuous opportunity to affect positive change in the lives of others and our communities at large.”
—David Daggett, clinical trial participant
Historically, clinical research and trials have not included balanced or diverse participants regarding race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, culture, language and even underlying health conditions. These differentiations can be traced, tracked and aligned with certain populations within specific health care systems or regions to get patients better care.
From its inception, Javara believed the IRO model was key to addressing diversity in clinical trials. With the onset of Covid—a virus that will infect anyone—many have begun to identify bias across all industries and organizations, especially in medicine.
Javara recognizes that social determinants compound health equity and unmet needs in our local community when it comes to equitable access to healthcare. In addition to bringing more diverse populations to clinical trials, they ensure that their employees are inclusive and diverse as well—which is vital to successfully build trust and connection with patients.
Intentionally bringing clinical research as a care option to underserved populations in Winston-Salem is just one tool in Javara’s toolbox that helps to address and improve population health.
COVID-19: A Catalyst for Growth
Javara’s birth coincided with the onset of a world-altering pandemic, and although coincidental, this timing proved immensely impactful not only for the organization itself, but also for the Winston-Salem community, the clinical research industry and global health in general.
Javara’s contributions to COVID-19 relief efforts were significant at the local level and far beyond. Together with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and citizens of Winston-Salem, Javara partnered to activate a community-based COVID-19 study in collaboration with Oracle and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This collaboration helped the world better understand regional infection patterns and gather daily patient information to aid in developing strategies to contain the virus and lead to potential treatment options in defined communities.
Javara also partnered with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist to bring the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial to the Winston-Salem community, contributing to data that ultimately led to FDA approval of the vaccine. The ability to access synergy within the Innovation Quarter enabled Javara to advance clinical research and combat a global pandemic through actions rooted in the local community.
Global Impact through Local Community Participation
For this pioneering Integrated Research Organization—and for all trying to join in on the innovative developments that this unique delivery model brings to the clinical research landscape and the future of healthcare—COVID-19 proved to be a multi-faceted catalyst for growth.
Yet, it’s also been a way for Winston-Salem and the entire region to grow its reputation as a clinical trial and medical research hub in an impactful, accessible way—one that will benefit and improve the wellbeing of all patients, clinical trial participants, researchers and the general population, now and for years to come.
We’re so thankful to have Javara at the center of our community, and we look forward to watching them grow, as we know their inclusive work will save lives and improve the health of all across the globe.
Happy birthday, Javara!
Learn more about Javara, including how to participate in a clinical trial.
The Secret Is Out
Winston-Salem is rapidly making a name for itself as a top midsized city. From a thriving innovation ecosystem to a diverse cultural experience, Winston-Salem has what startups and entrepreneurs need to hit their stride.
