Dr. Mitzi Joi Williams is a top neurologist and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Specialist in Atlanta, Georgia. She received her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology from Emory University and her Doctor of Medicine degree from Morehouse School of Medicine. Dr. Williams completed her internship and residency in neurology as well as a Clinical Fellowship in Multiple Sclerosis at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. Dr. Williams has a strong interest in understanding and furthering research in MS in ethnic minority populations. She is a sought-after speaker and presenter and has discussed her research both nationally and internationally at various scientific meetings. She has spearheaded and participated in multiple Steering Committees and Work Groups to further research in underserved population with MS. She also has recently increased involvement in efforts to increase diversity in clinical research and educate the community about the importance of research participation. Dr. Williams is the author of MS Made Simple: The Essential Guide to Understanding Your Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis. Because of her passion for teaching and advocacy.
It’s important for patients to get involved in clinical trials for a variety of reasons. When looking at the body of research for people affected by multiple sclerosis, I was fortunate to participate in a research article that was published in 2015 and when we did a search of the literature, there were over 50,000 articles written about multiple sclerosis in general. Only a hundred of those articles at that time were about black people and multiple sclerosis. So we have research that suggests that the disease is more aggressive in black people, that there’s more disability, that there are more MRI changes, but we don’t really have people involved in our clinical trials. The reason that clinical trials are important is that they set everyone on a level playing field. Everyone who’s enrolled has access to the same care. Their care is actually very good and so they’re able to see the doctor on a regular basis.
Their tests are free and also their medications are often free. And so when we put everyone on the same level playing field and we allow everyone the same access to care in those trials, then we can really see if the aggressiveness that we see of the disease is related to access to care or how much of it is related on a biological basis. Now there are some side effects or risks related to participating in clinical trials and clinical research and certainly those are some, some things that I don’t downplay, but I do think that everyone should at least explore that option if it’s available with their physician and if it’s not available to do research with their physician.
Often if there is a teaching institution or an academic center, they are often involved in clinical trials and so it’s important for us to be a part of the conversation so that we can see how the disease affects the African American population, but also to make sure that the treatments are affecting people equally in terms of side effects and in terms of effectiveness. So I think that is very important. I encourage all of my patients who are eligible to enroll in clinical trials. But if someone is not a candidate for a clinical trial, there are all kinds of research to be involved in. So I tell everyone to get in where they fit in. So if a clinical trial is not the thing for you, they’re often surveys. There are registries, there are many other projects that you can be involved in to contribute to understanding MS better, even if you’re not involved in a trial related to medications.
So many people, when we talk about research, say I don’t want to be a Guinea pig, how do I know it’s safe? And the answer is before a large clinical trial is done, there are several phases of research that occur. So certainly medications are tested in animal models, right? So it gives us an idea of some of the side effects. But certainly mice and other animals are not people. And so when clinical trials are done, they’re done in certain phases. So the first phase is in a very small number of people to look at side effects. The second phase is in a slightly larger number of people, usually around a hundred or 150 and it’s looking at side effects but also looking at effectiveness so we can see if it works, but what side effects it may not have. The point at which most people can become involved in clinical trials is what we call a phase three of research and those are large trials, usually a thousand people or more.
And we’re looking at the effectiveness and we’re looking at side effects and also making sure that people are on the right dose of medication.
As I said, there certainly are risks, right? And there are some people who do have side effects from medications, some of which can be very serious. And so we certainly discuss those with people who are involved in trials. It also is a way to be involved in cutting edge medicine and cutting edge treatment. So we have to balance the risks versus the benefits. And again, that’s an individual decision that someone needs to sit down and speak with their physician about and see if that will be a good fit for them.
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