Sanofi employees Abiola, Anna and Leon in the UK, Brazil and JapanA Million Conversations is Sanofi’s global initiative to rebuild trust in healthcare with the underrepresented. Specifically with Black and ethnic minority groups, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ communities.
We are deploying our expertise, networks and a €50M investment until 2030 to empower people from marginalized communities to speak directly to the healthcare industry. In 2023, we welcomed 100 Sanofi NextGen scholars and we are continuing to grow a pipeline of diverse healthcare leaders.
The initiative launched in 2023, reaching diverse communities in Brazil, France, Japan, UK and the U.S. In 2024 it is expanding to five new countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain and Mexico.
It all starts with A Million Conversations. So let’s start talking.
The Trust Gap
Sanofi’s A Million Conversation launched following the results of our global polling. In 2022 we asked more than 11,500 people in five countries (Brazil, France, Japan, UK, the U.S.) about their healthcare experiences. We extended the survey at the end of 2023 to 12,600 people in five additional countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Mexico, Spain). An alarming number of people from marginalized communities across all ten countries have had their trust in healthcare eroded by past negative experiences. We call this the ‘trust gap’.
Sanofi NextGen Scholarship
In partnership with leading higher education institutions, the Sanofi NextGen Scholarship offers students from marginalized communities a holistic program with financial support, mentorship, leadership training and future career opportunities.
Inclusive Dialogues
To change policy and attitudes within the industry, we are facilitating dialogue events with people who have experienced discrimination in healthcare, representatives from local health organizations, and Sanofi employees.
Influence the System
In coalition with nonprofits, activists, businesses and governments, we will research the causes of the ‘trust gap’ and will publish an annual Trust and Inclusion Report. This will track trust levels over time and provide policy recommendations.
1. The Next Generation of Healthcare Leaders
Our global scholarship fund encourages individuals from diverse communities to pursue a healthcare-related career.
In partnership with leading higher education institutions across the world, the Sanofi NextGen Scholarship will support 100 new students from marginalized communities each year.
Selected Scholars are awarded funding to cover partial university fees and living costs. Supporting them on their journey to becoming healthcare leaders, they also receive mentorship, leadership training, internship opportunities and future career opportunities at Sanofi.
We are also partnering with online certification experts Coursera to offer 20,000 training licenses to its Career Academy for people from diverse and lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
2. Listening and Acting On What We Hear
If we are going to begin to close the ‘trust gap’, the healthcare industry must first learn to listen better.
We are facilitating dialogue events in the heart of communities with the aim of changing policy and attitudes within the industry. The events convene three groups: people who have experienced discrimination in healthcare that are part of underrepresented groups, representatives from local health organizations and Sanofi employees.
3. From Paying Attention to Accelerating Action
Changing the system will take research and action from many institutions and decision-makers. That’s why we’ve built a collective of inspirational leaders from the fields of healthcare, academia, advocacy and research, who are committed to helping make healthcare more accessible and more equitable for all.
These Advisory Group members are committed to producing evidence-based and consensus-led outputs, to help drive change. The group is convened by The Health Policy Partnership, which also provides secretariat support.
Together they will produce and review reports about trust in healthcare, drawing on the experiences shared in the dialogue events. Not only will this provide policy recommendations to inspire global action, but it will also track trust levels over time.
Rebuilding trust in healthcare will not be quick or easy. But with A Million Conversations, together we can move towards a more inclusive and healthier world for all.
Earning Trust: A Foundation for Health Equity Report
How can we create more equitable health systems? Initiated and funded by Sanofi, this latest report from the Health Policy Partnership outlines key policy principles to rebuild trust with under-represented groups and healthcare.
As an innovative global healthcare company, we have a role to play in responding to the destabilizing situation underrepresented populations are in when they need care. We aim to help build the next generation of diverse healthcare leaders. By also working to build trust through conversation and dialogue between underrepresented communities and healthcare stakeholders, we can help improve engagement and health outcomes for all.
Paul Hudson
Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi
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