Business

Doctor joins COVID-19 vaccine trial to combat mistrust in the Black community

Published

4 years ago

December 24, 2020

Racialized communities have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in infections and deaths, but as the vaccine provides hope for many across the world, doctors are working to combat mistrust in the COVID-19 vaccine within the Black and Indigenous communities.

One doctor in the United States took matters into her own hands, by signing up to be a part of a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial and sharing her story online.

Dr. Valerie Fitzhugh is an Associate Professor of Pathology at Rutgers University Medical School. In a thread shared on Twitter, Fitzhugh detailed why she decided to join the trial and what it was like participating in one.

Fitzhugh tells CityNews she initially decided to research participating in a clinical trial because historically, it’s very difficult to get communities of colour to trust in medical establishments and to trust in some of these scientific developments, citing Henrietta Lacks’ story as just one example of this.

In the 1950s, researchers took a sample of cancer cells from Lacks without her permission while she was under anesthesia and found the cells could be grown indefinitely.

The so-called “HeLa” cells became crucial for understanding viruses, cancer treatments, in-vitro fertilization and development of vaccines, including the polio vaccine.

“There is a lot of mistrust, particularly in the Black community in the United States, around experimentation on black and brown bodies which happened, unfortunately, quite a lot in the earlier parts of the 19th century,” Fitzhugh said.

She had also heard that participation by people of colour in COVID-19 vaccine trials was low.

“Everything I had heard and everything I read had noted that the participation by people of colour was a lot lower than what they wanted at that time,” Fitzhugh said.

“The biggest driving force for me was representation by the Black community. I felt like doing my part and adding to that trial. Giving a little bit something of myself for the greater good made it so worth it.”

A study on race and health conducted by Kaiser Family Foundation in the U.S. found that Black adults were less likely than any other groups to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Just 17 per cent of Black adults said they would definitely get the vaccine and 27 per cent said they would definitely not get it.

Fitzhugh said by sharing her story, she hoped to open up an important discussion within the Black community about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

Since tweeting on Dec. 12, her story has been retweeted almost 10,000 times.

“I want people to be educated. You have to trust the process and trust the science. If I at least tell my story and tell what I went though, it may give people an idea what to expect, should they get vaccinated,” Fitzhugh said.

Dr. Fitzhugh could not disclose the trial she is participating in, but said she received her first dose in October and second in November. She doesn’t know if she received a placebo or the actual vaccine at this point.

Dr. Fitzhugh says she could be “unblinded” soon and find out whether she has been vaccinated. She’s currently eligible to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine through her work as a physician, but doesn’t want to take the vaccine away from another doctor or hospital worker if it is not necessary.

“I’m tired of seeing people who look like me die of this disease.”

“What I find to be so important now is that we have these discussions, we openly discuss why the hesitancy is there, why the mistrust is there so that we can have educated conversations going forward about people at least considering being vaccinated,” Dr. Fitzhugh said. “I don’t think trying to convincing people to be vaccinate is the appropriate approach. We need to have the conversations, acknowledge the hesitancy and why it’s there.”

Fitzhugh says hearing so many stories and seeing the pain of those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic made it all the more important to become apart of the trial.

“I’m tired of seeing people who look like me die of this disease.”

“I hope people at least consider being vaccinated. I do want people to get the information that’s available. I want people to talk to their physicians…and ask the difficult questions,” she said.

Gerald Evans, the Chair for Infection Diseases at Queen’s University, says there is a clear difference between those who are hesitant to receive a vaccine and so-called “anti-vaxxers.”

“It isn’t anti-vaxxer at all. There is an intrinsic hesitancy when you think to yourself ‘Were there enough people who are like me enrolled in these studies so I can be confident about the data?’ Over history, there has been a significant disadvantage amongst people who were not white in scientific studies,” Evans said.

With most of the data around vaccine hesitancy and mistrust coming from the U.S., Evans said they are making a push to collect similar data in Canada as vaccine rollout plans continue to be formulated.

“I know that there is a big move to make sure we do the same move here in Canada, getting away from just general polling information and really understanding within these communities what is the feeling about taking the vaccine,” Evans said.

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Business

What Difference Will You Make to an Employer?

Published

13 hours ago

October 21, 2024

Nick Kossovan

It’s common knowledge that companies don’t hire the most qualified candidates. Employers hire the person they believe will deliver the best value in exchange for their payroll cost.

Since most job seekers know the above, I’m surprised that so few mention their Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Most job seekers list their education, skills, and experience without substantiating them and expect employers to determine whether they can benefit their company; hence, most resumes and LinkedIn profiles are just a list of opinions—borderline platitudes—that are meaningless and, therefore, have no value. Job seekers need to better explain, along with providing evidence, how they’ll contribute to an employer’s success.

Employers don’t hire opinions (read: talk is cheap); they hire results.

You’re not offering anything tangible when you claim:

I’m a great communicator.
I’m detail oriented.
I’m a team player.

Tangible:

“At Global Dynamics, I held quarterly town hall meetings with my 22 sales reps, highlighting our accomplishments, identifying opportunity areas, and recognizing outstanding performers.”
“For eight years, I managed Vandelay Industries IT department, overseeing a staff of 18 and a 12-million-dollar budget while coordinating cross-specialty projects. My strong attention to detail is why I never exceeded budget.”
“While working at Cyberdyne Systems, I was part of the customer service team, consisting of nine of us, striving to improve our response time. Through collaboration and sharing of best practices, we reduced our average response time from 48 to 12 business hours, resulting in a 35% improvement in customer feedback ratings.”

These examples of tangible answers provide employers with what they most want to hear from candidates but rarely do; what value the candidate will bring to the company. Typically, job seekers present their skills, experience, and unsubstantiated opinions and expect recruiters and employers to figure out their value, which is a lazy practice.

Getting hired isn’t based on “I have an MBA in Marketing and Sales,” “I’ve been a web designer for over 15 years,” “I’m young, beautiful and energetic,” blah, blah, blah. Likewise, being rejected isn’t based on “I’m overqualified,” “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” blah, blah, blah. Getting hired depends entirely on showing employers that you can add value and substance to their company; that you’ll serve a purpose.

When you articulate a solid value offer, the “blah, blah, blah” doesn’t matter. Job seekers focus too much on the “blah, blah, blah,” and when not hired, they say, “It’s not me, it’s…” The biggest mistake I see job seekers make is focusing on the “blah, blah, blah”—their experience and education—believing this is what interests employers. Hiring managers are more interested in whether you can solve the problems the position exists to solve than in your education and experience.

Not impressive: Education

Impressive: A track record of achieving tangible results.

You aren’t who you say you are; you are what you do.

If you want to be somebody who works hard, you have to actually work hard. If you want to be somebody who goes to the gym, you actually have to go to the gym. If you want to be a good friend, spouse, or colleague, you have to actually be a good friend, spouse, or colleague. Actions build reputations, not words.

The biggest challenge job seekers face today is differentiating themselves. To stand out and be memorable, don’t be like most job seekers, someone who’s all talk and no action. Any recruiter or hiring manager will tell you that the job market is heavily populated with job seekers who talk themselves up, talk a “good game” about everything they can “supposedly” do, drop names, etc., but have nothing to show for it.

More than ever, employers want to hear candidates offer a value proposition summarizing what value they bring. If you’re looking for a low-hanging fruit method to differentiate yourself, do what job seekers hardly ever do and make a hard-to-ignore value proposition.

Increase sales: “Based on my experience managing Regina and Saskatoon for PharmaKorp, I’m confident that I can increase BioGen’s sales by no less than 25% in Winnipeg and the surrounding area by the end of 2025.”
Reduce cost: “During my 12 years as Taco Town’s head of purchasing, I renegotiated contracts with key suppliers, resulting in 15% cost savings, saving the company over $450,000 annually. I know I can do the same for The Pasta House.”
Increase customer satisfaction:“During my time at Globex Corporation, I established a systematic feedback mechanism that enabled customers to share their experiences. This led to targeted improvements, increasing our Net Promoter Score by 15 points. I can increase Dunder Mifflin’s net promoter score.”
Save time: “As Zap Delivery’s dispatcher, I implemented advanced routing software that analyzed traffic patterns, reducing average delivery times by 20%. My implementation of this software at Froggy’s Delivery can reduce your delivery times by at least 20%, if not more.”

If you want to achieve job search success as soon as possible, structure your job search with a single thread that’s evident and consistent throughout your résumé, LinkedIn profile, cover letters and especially during interviews; clearly convey what difference you’ll make to the employer.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

Business

Netflix’s subscriber growth slows as gains from password-sharing crackdown subside

Published

4 days ago

October 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

Netflix on Thursday reported that its subscriber growth slowed dramatically during the summer, a sign the huge gains from the video-streaming service’s crackdown on freeloading viewers is tapering off.

The 5.1 million subscribers that Netflix added during the July-September period represented a 42% decline from the total gained during the same time last year. Even so, the company’s revenue and profit rose at a faster pace than analysts had projected, according to FactSet Research.

Netflix ended September with 282.7 million worldwide subscribers — far more than any other streaming service.

The Los Gatos, California, company earned $2.36 billion, or $5.40 per share, a 41% increase from the same time last year. Revenue climbed 15% from a year ago to $9.82 billion. Netflix management predicted the company’s revenue will rise at the same 15% year-over-year pace during the October-December period, slightly than better than analysts have been expecting.

The strong financial performance in the past quarter coupled with the upbeat forecast eclipsed any worries about slowing subscriber growth. Netflix’s stock price surged nearly 4% in extended trading after the numbers came out, building upon a more than 40% increase in the company’s shares so far this year.

The past quarter’s subscriber gains were the lowest posted in any three-month period since the beginning of last year. That drop-off indicates Netflix is shifting to a new phase after reaping the benefits from a ban on the once-rampant practice of sharing account passwords that enabled an estimated 100 million people watch its popular service without paying for it.

The crackdown, triggered by a rare loss of subscribers coming out of the pandemic in 2022, helped Netflix add 57 million subscribers from June 2022 through this June — an average of more than 7 million per quarter, while many of its industry rivals have been struggling as households curbed their discretionary spending.

Netflix’s gains also were propelled by a low-priced version of its service that included commercials for the first time in its history. The company still is only getting a small fraction of its revenue from the 2-year-old advertising push, but Netflix is intensifying its focus on that segment of its business to help boost its profits.

In a letter to shareholder, Netflix reiterated previous cautionary notes about its expansion into advertising, though the low-priced option including commercials has become its fastest growing segment.

“We have much more work to do improving our offering for advertisers, which will be a priority over the next few years,” Netflix management wrote in the letter.

As part of its evolution, Netflix has been increasingly supplementing its lineup of scripted TV series and movies with live programming, such as a Labor Day spectacle featuring renowned glutton Joey Chestnut setting a world record for gorging on hot dogs in a showdown with his longtime nemesis Takeru Kobayashi.

Netflix will be trying to attract more viewer during the current quarter with a Nov. 15 fight pitting former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson against Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation turned boxer, and two National Football League games on Christmas Day.

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Business

All Magic Spells (TM) : Top Converting Magic Spell eCommerce Store

Published

4 days ago

October 17, 2024

Sven Eggers

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