September 16 2025
Written by Lauren Hilliard, NRG Oncology Patient Advocate Committee member
As Clinical Research Coordinators, we often serve as a bridge between research teams and the patients who give so much of themselves to advance the standard of care. Behind every form we complete, every data entry, and every visit we schedule, there’s a woman navigating the hardest chapter of her life with a difficult diagnosis, often while juggling work, family, and daily life. In this role, we don’t just coordinate, we advocate ensuring that the patient voice and experience remain at the heart of clinical research.
For me, GYN Awareness Month is a reminder that listening to patients is just as important as enrolling them. Awareness is more than education about prevention and treatment; it’s about understanding their daily struggles and ensuring their voices guide the work that we do.
Many of the women I’ve worked with face real obstacles to even getting in the door. Transportation, lack of a support system, childcare, financial stress, or simply not having enough hours in the day can make participation in clinical research feel impossible. On top of that, language barriers, interacting with several health care professionals, and the complexity of medical terms can leave patients feeling overwhelmed and scared. When we pause to really hear these concerns, we gain insight into how to make our research more inclusive and accessible.
Another reality we can’t overlook is the toll of the disease itself. Cervical cancer patients often endure painful symptoms—bleeding, pelvic pain, urinary symptoms, GI upset, fatigue—that affect nearly every aspect of their lives. Many women describe how these physical challenges spill over into their mental health, leading to anxiety, depression, hopelessness, or feelings of isolation. When we meet with patients, we are often seeing them on some of their hardest days. Acknowledging that emotional weight, and approaching every interaction with patience, flexibility, and empathy, is an essential part of supporting them through both treatment and research.
Unfortunately, many women with cervical cancer are also facing life situations where support is minimal or absent. I think often of many patients who have little or no support and might be living far from family and friends. Not every woman has a family member or friend to be in their corner when battling cancer. With few resources and a rapidly progressing disease, they have to carry an overwhelming burden on their own. Having helped cervical cancer patients with this story has sparked an important question for me: how can we improve clinical trial resources for women in these unique, challenging circumstances? Whether it’s connecting patients with social services, offering more flexible trial designs, or building stronger support systems, we have opportunities to close these gaps. Sometimes a little extra information, navigation, or resource support can truly mean the difference between receiving life-saving treatment—or going without it.
I’ve also seen how much communication matters. Patients often tell me they want things explained in plain, clear language — without the medical jargon. They want space to ask questions, to process what’s being asked of them, and to feel reassured that their participation is making a difference. When we take the time to connect on that human level, woman to woman, patients don’t just feel like participants — they feel like partners.
As a new patient advocate for the NRG Cervix/Vulvar Cancer Committee, I look forward to being able to draw on my professional experience and my passion for women’s health to help ensure NRG trials are developed with these and other challenges in mind.
This September, I encourage all of us in research to reflect on how we can keep the patient’s perspective at the center of what we do, regardless of whether it’s adjusting how we explain a consent form, checking in on a patient’s emotional well-being, or brainstorming ways to reduce barriers. Small shifts in how we engage can have a big impact. Awareness begins with listening, and our patients are the best guides in showing us what truly matters to them.
About the Author
Lauren Hilliard | Clinical Research Coordinator • Patient Advocate • Women’s Health Champion
Lauren Hilliard is a Clinical Research Coordinator in gynecologic oncology at the University of Virginia’s Emily Couric Cancer Center, where she leads clinical trials for women with endometrial and cervical cancers. She serves as a patient advocate on NRG’s Cervical Cancer Committee, bringing a strong advocacy lens to her professional role by ensuring patients’ voices remain central to clinical research.
Passionate about advancing women’s health, Lauren combines her expertise in research coordination with a commitment to patient-centered care. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health degree with the goal of expanding her impact on women’s health beyond UVA.