1
|
Reopell L, Nolan TS, Gray DM, Williams A, Brewer LC, Bryant AL, Wilson G, Williams E, Jones C, McKoy A, Grever J, Soliman A, Baez J, Nawaz S, Walker DM, Metlock F, Zappe L, Gregory J, Joseph JJ. Community engagement and clinical trial diversity: Navigating barriers and co-designing solutions-A report from the "Health Equity through Diversity" seminar series. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281940. [PMID: 36795792 PMCID: PMC9934412 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the lack of diversity among clinical trial participants. Equitable representation is key when testing novel therapeutic and non-therapeutic interventions to ensure safety and efficacy across populations. Unfortunately, in the United States (US), racial and ethnic minority populations continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials compared to their White counterparts. METHODS Two webinars in a four-part series, titled "Health Equity through Diversity," were held to discuss solutions for advancing health equity through diversifying clinical trials and addressing medical mistrust in communities. Each webinar was 1.5 hours long, beginning with panelist discussions followed by breakout rooms where moderators led discussions related to health equity and scribes recorded each room's conversations. The diverse groups of panelists included community members, civic representatives, clinician-scientists, and biopharmaceutical representatives. Scribe notes from discussions were collected and thematically analyzed to uncover the central themes. RESULTS The first two webinars were attended by 242 and 205 individuals, respectively. The attendees represented 25 US states, four countries outside the US, and shared various backgrounds including community members, clinician/researchers, government organizations, biotechnology/biopharmaceutical professionals, and others. Barriers to clinical trial participation are broadly grouped into the themes of access, awareness, discrimination and racism, and workforce diversity. Participants noted that innovative, community-engaged, co-designed solutions are essential. CONCLUSIONS Despite racial and ethnic minority groups making up nearly half of the US population, underrepresentation in clinical trials remains a critical challenge. The community engaged co-developed solutions detailed in this report to address access, awareness, discrimination and racism, and workforce diversity are critical to advancing clinical trial diversity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luiza Reopell
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Timiya S. Nolan
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, United States of America
- The Ohio State University James Center for Cancer Health Equity, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Darrell M. Gray
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
- The Ohio State University James Center for Cancer Health Equity, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Amaris Williams
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - LaPrincess C. Brewer
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, United States of America
| | - Ashley Leak Bryant
- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Gerren Wilson
- Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Emily Williams
- Franklin University, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Clarence Jones
- Hue-Man Partnership, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Alicia McKoy
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
- The Ohio State University James Center for Cancer Health Equity, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Jeff Grever
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Adam Soliman
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Jna Baez
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Saira Nawaz
- The Ohio State University College of Public Health, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Daniel M. Walker
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Faith Metlock
- The Ohio State University College of Nursing, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Lauren Zappe
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - John Gregory
- The African American Male Wellness Agency, National Center for Urban Solutions, Columbus, OH, United States of America
| | - Joshua J. Joseph
- The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|