Pathways Symposium: Clinical Trials in Rural and Tribal Communities
October 14–15, 2025 | KwaTaqNuk Resort | Flathead Reservation, Polson, Montana
We want you to be part of the 2025 Pathways Symposium, and this toolkit is here to help you get there.
Why Attend the Pathways Symposium?
When seeking internal approval to attend the Pathways Symposium, it’s important to emphasize the strategic value this event brings to your organization’s goals around clinical trial access, community engagement, and equitable research partnerships. This isn’t just another conference—it’s a highly focused, two-day working event that connects pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors with tribal and rural healthcare leaders, researchers, and clinical site staff to identify actionable solutions for conducting research in underserved regions.
Attendees will participate in:
- In-depth sessions on tribal governance, community-led research priorities, and site readiness
- Interactive working groups focused on overcoming operational and regulatory barriers in rural research
- Structured 1:1 Matchmaking Meetings connecting sponsors directly with potential rural and tribal research partners
- Open dialogues with patients, providers, and system leaders offering firsthand insight into rural healthcare needs
Benefits to Your Organization
Build and strengthen partnerships with rural and tribal communities ready to engage in research
Improve feasibility assessments for underserved and geographically diverse populations
Identify trusted community channels for participant recruitment and engagement
Explore new research sites and regions that are often left out of traditional site selection pathways
Demonstrate your commitment to health equity in both policy and practice A
Attending the Pathways Symposium provides both strategic and operational value by supporting more inclusive research practices and opening doors to long-term, sustainable partnerships that can support decentralized, hybrid, and community-based trial models.
Budget Considerations
When preparing your budget for approval, consider the following expenses:
- Registration (includes all sessions, meals, and networking events)
- Travel to Polson, MT (closest airport: Missoula, MT)
- Lodging at KwaTaqNuk Resort (discounted rates available for attendees)
- Meals (most provided during the event)
Letter to Your Supervisor
Need help making the ask? We’ve prepared a sample justification letter you can customize for your supervisor or team lead. Whether you’re requesting professional development funds or building a business case for strategic engagement, this letter can help you clearly communicate the value of attending.
The Bottom Line
By attending the Pathways Symposium, you’re not only investing in your professional development—you’re playing a vital role in shaping the future of inclusive clinical research. The relationships built, insights gained, and opportunities uncovered during this event have the potential to directly influence trial feasibility, site success, and participant diversity.
This is your opportunity to help bring meaningful research to the communities that need it most.
We look forward to seeing you in Montana.
L.S. Skaggs Institute for Health Innovation
For further information regarding this symposium, please email Pete Lovette (Conference Planner) (pete.lovette@umontana.edu)
Ready to Register?