Clinical Trials Aren’t Diverse Enough. Here’s Why

Clinical trials are essential for developing new medical treatments, but historically they have lacked diverse representation. In a recent discussion with the Cobb Institute’s Dr. Christina Stephens, Dr. Priscilla Pemu and Tesheia Harris, chief strategy officer at Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI) at Yale School of Medicine, shared insights on barriers to participation and strategies to make clinical trials more inclusive, particularly for communities of color and rural areas. Why Diversity in Clinical Trials Matters Dr. Pemu, a professor of Clinical Medicine and Associate Dean of Clinical Research at Morehouse School of Medicine emphasized that diversity in clinical trials is crucial because “the only way to really figure out if [a treatment] works is to do a clinical trial.” She noted that different populations may respond differently to treatments, so it’s important to have representation from all groups likely to use a medication or device. Harris added that diversity impacts trust and uptake of new treatments: “One of the primary questions post [COVID] vaccine approval was, were there people like me in that clinical trial?” Having representation allows researchers to say “there were people like me who participated.” Key Barriers to Participation The experts outlined several barriers preventing diverse...