A drive to increase diversity in clinical trials

Diversity in clinical trials and the demographics of participants have remained virtually unchanged, despite decades of attention and efforts. Twenty years ago, clinical trial participants were primarily white and male, and this homogeneity still persists in 2023, according to the 2022 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, referenced in this e-book.

The lack of diversity has significant costs beyond financial implications, as it hinders the ability to generalize research findings to the broader U.S. population, makes it difficult to recruit enough subjects for studies, and fosters distrust of doctors and medical research among underrepresented groups. 

The e-book highlights various studies, doctors, and approaches to address this issue, including tech startups developing platforms for increased outreach, enrollment, and retention of diverse participants. However, health equity experts caution that no single tech intervention can completely solve the problem yet.

Attempts to increase diversity aren’t always helpful or well thought out. They can be at best inept and at worst insulting, says Genentech’s chief diversity officer Quita Highsmith shares from personal experience. The ongoing issue of diversity in clinical trials remains a crucial challenge in life sciences.

Altogether, the collection in this e-book will give you new insights into one of the most important issues facing the life sciences today and the people who are devoting their careers to solving it.