“I am an accidental hero,” says Raolat Abdulai, a triple-specialized doctor and head of Sanofi biomedical company. She followed this path in life “because of a choice I made years ago.” Specifically, that choice was to save lives. But she had not yet decided to become a doctor. The choice in question was participating in clinical research.
Today, Abdulai works on the cutting edge of clinical research, focusing on asthma drug development. She focuses on bringing more understanding of medical diversity to the industry. For her, human trials in clinical research can “make anyone a hero.”
Abdulai and Sanofi believe that ensuring that everyone shares the benefits of research implies actively encouraging more participation in trials by minorities, particularly women. Their participation in scientific investigations could contribute to efforts to fight against diseases affecting their communities.
Raolat Abdulai Turns Personal Experience into Professional Expertise
Strong personal experiences in her earlier life have influenced Abdulai’s decision to specialize in asthma and pulmonary diseases. Born in Nigeria, she moved with her family to Maryland at the age of 5. As she grew up, she witnessed her father’s frequent asthma attacks. As a result, she was left with “deep fear and anxiety” after each episode.
Being uninsured limited their prospects for care. But Abdulai became “determined to break the chain.”
First, she became a triple board-certified doctor in internal (adult medicine), pulmonary, and critical care medicine. While still in medical school at Howard University, she co-founded the student-run New Freedmen’s clinic. There, she provided free holistic care to the uninsured and underinsured local population. More recently, Abdulai has joined Sanofi, a pharmaceutical company, to develop drugs to help patients with asthma, like her dad.
Breaking into the Medicine Industry
Abdulai made a promise to herself: to help those who were uninsured live their best and healthiest life. This, and her volunteer work, have sat at the core of Dr. Abdulai’s personal development.
In 2009, O! Oprah Magazine featured her as one of 80 inspirational women entrepreneurs from around the country. Representing the impactful social entrepreneurship of the New Freedmen’s Clinic, Abdulai was also invited to the White House. There, she highlighted innovative non-profit programs making a difference in communities.
Her arrival at Sanofi, a France-based multinational company, came at a perfect time, according to Abdulai. The timing worked because of the way the digital world and technologies evolved. Functioning as a digital enabler within Research and Development at Sanofi, Abdulai works on integrating technology that can lead to more efficient delivery of medicines and improved patient experiences. Strategic partnerships with companies, such as Google, have positioned the company at the forefront of health tech.
Dr. Raolat Abdulai Focuses on “Woefully Underrepresented” Groups
According to Dr. Abdulai, encouraging diverse representation in clinical research is key for simple reasons. Due to genetic variances, women and people of color may respond differently to the same medication. Abdulai stresses that fair representation of women and minorities in clinical trials must improve, because “we need to know that medicines work in target populations.” If not, “this can leave us with holes in our scientific understanding.”
People of those communities are “woefully underrepresented” under existing circumstances. Because of this, “the results of clinical trials are skewed and the benefits of new medicines are not distributed fairly.”
Without broadly diverse participation in clinical trials, “we are unlikely to understand the race, ethnicity, and gender related differences in drugs – differences that can save lives,” says Dr. Abdulai. She knows that changing this will take an “active and prolonged effort,” and that most people do not even know that they have a chance to be heroes.
“I once thought that I could be a force on my own. I have now realized that I can only be a force if I am part of a community that nurtures my growth,” Abdulai says.
