Gerardo Colon-Otero, M.D. (I ’82, HEM ’84), received an award, Mayo Clinic Florida

Gerardo Colon-Otero, M.D. (I ’82, HEM ’84), Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, received a 2023 Decentralized Clinical Trials award from the Mayo Clinic Decentralized Clinical Trials team, in partnership with Research and the Clinical Trials Strategy and Governance team. This initiative aims to establish digital products, personnel and processes to support research teams. Dr. Colon-Otero’s project, “Transportation Barriers in Research: A Decentralized Approach for Tailored Community Engagement in a Vitamin D Study in Jacksonville, Florida,” will evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and potential beneficial immunological effects of vitamin D replacement in African American patients with a history of prostate cancer (localized and metastatic). Dr. Colon-Otero will use remote collection of research-specific laboratory assessments local to participants, eliminating the need to travel specifically for a blood draw. Dr. Colon-Otero will employ virtual consenting and video visits to reduce the burden to participation. Dr. Colon-Otero is a professor of medicine in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.