This Reverend Wants to Change How You View Clinical Trials: “We’re Not Going to Have Another Tuskegee”

Rev. Anthony Evans of the NBCI Reaching Black people on major issues starts with going where they are. Historically, Black churches have been a resource and refuge in their communities, and they’re helping to build trust with clinical trials.   The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a coalition of 150,000 churches, has been the driving force behind the National Clinical Trial Strategic Plan to educate and inform Black Americans about clinical trials. Their efforts have helped to educate over 52,000 Black congregants, making it the most successful mission to close the clinical trial racial gap.  That success is in major part due to trust and cultural competency. “We’re proud to be working to educate and provide informed consent,” Rev. Anthony Evans, the President of the NBCI explains to BlackDoctor.org. There is also a level of protection since they vet the clinical trials before putting them before congregations. “I tell them that you have to verify through us that you’re going to provide critical education, and you can’t do that without going through the American Clinical Health Disparities Commission.”  NBCI’s partnership with the American Clinical Health Disparities Commission (ACHDC) is aimed at a continued effort to combat health disparities including social determinants...