Racial and ethnic minorities don’t take part in medical research studies as much as they should in the U.S., according to a recent article by Dr. Sachin Jain in Forbes. This leads to worse health outcomes and adds to existing health disparities.
Dr. Jain, who used to work at the biotech company Genentech, shares how the company had trouble finding even one person of color to speak at an event about the importance of clinical research. This shows how widespread the lack of diversity is in medical studies. For example, only 5% of participants are Black, even though they make up more of the overall population.
A report from top science institutions, paid for by the NIH, said the low participation of minority groups in research needs to be fixed right away. It asked the FDA, ethics review boards, the NIH, and medical journals to help improve diversity in studies.
When research doesn’t include diverse groups, scientists can miss important information about how diseases and treatments affect different populations. Heart disease studies have mostly included white participants, so we don’t know as much about heart health in minorities. Cancer drug trials have also struggled to recruit minority patients.
Experts say many things play a role, like minority communities not trusting the medical system, lack of access to studies, and not enough diversity among medical researchers themselves. Tackling these big-picture issues will be important for making sure research represents everyone fairly and improves health for all.
See “Underrepresentation In Clinical Research And Its Impact On Health Outcomes” by Sarah Louden on the Forbes website (February 1, 2024)
