Advancing Health Equity in Life Sciences: Panel Recap

Health equity remains a critical priority for the life sciences industry, with organizations like Putnam and Vynamic, both a part of Inizio Advisory, driving efforts to bridge the gaps in healthcare access and innovation. At Vynamic, we’re health industry management consultants, partnering with clients across life sciences, health plans, providers, and public health to transform strategy into action. Similarly, Putnam, a scientific and strategic consulting firm, supports the global life sciences community in making confident, impactful decisions that drive patient-centered solutions.

In a recent panel discussion at Inizio’s New York City office, industry leaders convened to explore the systemic barriers to health equity and share strategies to foster inclusion in clinical research, drug development, and healthcare delivery.

• Moderator: Erika Ray – Principal at Putnam, Medical Affairs strategist specializing in health equity solutions, evidence generation, and medical launch readiness.
• Panelist: Dr. Johnnie Lee – Director, Clinical Leader at Johnson & Johnson, focusing on pain management, HIV, and vaccines.
• Panelist: J Solle – Program Director, Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program at the Michael J. Fox Foundation, leading efforts to increase research diversity.
• Panelist: Cassandra Zuluaga – DEI Service Lead at Vynamic, specializing in social determinants of health and health equity initiatives.

Johnnie, from your perspective as a physician and clinical leader, what do you see as the most critical barriers to achieving health equity in clinical care? How has your experience informed the importance of health literacy in addressing these challenges?

Dr. Johnnie Lee:
“Health equity is all about making sure everyone has the same opportunity to achieve their best health. But the reality is, there are a lot of systemic barriers that make that really tough – things like the high cost of medications, lack of stable housing, and transportation issues. I’ve seen so many patients struggle with high deductibles, and that forces them into impossible choices, like deciding whether to pay for medication or cover basic living expenses.”

“Another big issue is health literacy. A lot of patients just don’t know what resources are available to them – things like discount medication programs or community health initiatives. And if you don’t know what’s out there, you can’t take advantage of it. That’s why patient education is so important. We need to make sure people have the right information in a way that’s easy to understand and act on.”

J, your work with GP2 at the Michael J. Fox Foundation has focused on expanding representation in research data. Why is this representation crucial, and what challenges have you encountered in creating equitable research processes?

J Solle:
“If we’re not including diverse populations in research, we’re missing out on huge pieces of the puzzle. Historically, about 92% of genome-wide association studies on Parkinson’s disease have focused on people of European ancestry. That means we’re not really seeing the full picture of how this disease affects different groups. So, with GP2, we’re working to change that by bringing in data from all across the world in especially understudied populations.”

“One of the most exciting breakthroughs we’ve had was discovering a genetic variant related to Parkinson’s that’s unique to people of African descent. That kind of finding is huge. It can literally reshape how we think about treatment development. But if we hadn’t expanded our research to include those populations, we wouldn’t even know it existed.” Read more about this study here.

“That being said, there are still big challenges. A lot of the research tools we use just weren’t designed with global diversity in mind. For example, some scales rely on cultural references that don’t translate across different regions. If a test asks about the smell of pumpkin pie or dill pickles, and that’s not something a person grew up with, it’s not going to be a meaningful measure for them. That’s why we need to rethink how we design these test so they’re actually useful for everyone.”

Cass, your work has emphasized the need to address social determinants of health. What do you see as the biggest opportunities for life sciences companies to operationalize social determinants data and address disparities?

Cassandra Zuluaga:
“The biggest opportunity is for companies to think about health equity from the very beginning – not as something they try to fix later. Too often, health equity gets tacked on at the end, but it needs to be built into drug development, clinical trial design, and commercialization strategies right from the start.”

“The companies that do this well are the ones that ask the hard questions early: Who’s being left out? Where are the access gaps? How do we make sure we’re reaching the people who need it most? If we take the time to answer those questions upfront, we can build more effective and inclusive healthcare solutions.”

“And let’s be honest –health equity isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also good business. Companies that prioritize inclusion expand their market reach and build trust with patients and healthcare providers. I’ve seen real-world examples where companies invested in health equity initiatives and saw not only better community health outcomes but also strong business growth. When we design with equity in mind, everybody wins.”

Conclusion

The panel discussion made it clear that advancing health equity isn’t just about good intentions. It’s about taking real action. Achieving meaningful progress requires strong partnerships across the life sciences industry, from researchers and healthcare providers to policy makers and patient advocacy groups.

By working together, organizations can break down systemic barriers, foster more inclusive research, and develop healthcare solutions that serve diverse populations. Collaboration in clinical trials, data-sharing initiatives, and equitable patient engagement strategies are all crucial in making healthcare more accessible and effective for everyone.

Moving forward, it’s up to all of us: Industry leaders, healthcare professionals, and advocacy organizations to build partnerships that drive sustainable change and ensure health equity remains a priority across all aspects of life sciences.

Learn More

Inizio Advisory – A global life science and healthcare partner that helps companies create lasting change in human healthcare. Through connected capabilities across four businesses in market research (Research Partnership), strategic consulting (Putnam), management consulting (Vynamic), and brand alignment (STEM), Inizio Advisory supports clients on every stage of their product and patient journey.

Putnam – A scientific and strategic consulting firm that helps the global life science community make confident, impactful decisions and design solutions that support bringing life-changing innovations to clinicians and patients.

Vynamic – A health industry management consulting firm that partners with clients across life sciences, health plans, providers, and public health. With deep expertise in strategy, operations, and transformation, Vynamic helps organizations connect strategy to action in a dynamic and evolving landscape.