Marjorie A. Speers, PhD, is executive director of Clinical Research Pathways writes, (excerpted)

Clinical trials conducted today in the United States lean heavily toward populations that are 80-90 percent white, as reported in a recent Scientific American editorial. Failure to give people of color the opportunity to participate in trials to is unacceptable when close to 40 percent of the United States population belongs to a racial or ethnic minority group. Further, it is estimated that minorities will represent the majority in the United States population by 2050.

SNIP

One solution is a unique program we at Clinical Research Pathways developed with Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Called “Training Minority Clinical Teams: Getting New Quality Medicines to All Americans,” it seeks to knock down barriers to minority participation trials. The key, we strongly believe, is to rely on the trusted, ongoing relationship between minority physicians and their patients. We already know that within these bounds, patients are more willing to listen to advice.

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Author: Marjorie A. Speers, PhD, is executive director of Clinical Research Pathways.

Source: Scientific American