Engaging Historically Underrepresented Members of the African American/Black Communities in Clinical Trials

Developing strategies to engage clinical trial participation in underrepresented groups will require a thorough understanding of past challenges, current attitudes, and future implications. Almost 50 years after the unethical research practices in the Tuskegee Syphilis study caused public outrage, remnants of mistrust among African American/Black communities continue to impact confidence in clinical trials. Despite decades of reforms aimed at establishing basic research standards and protecting the rights of trial participants, African American/Black communities remain underrepresented in clinical trials. Strategies for proportional clinical trial representation must address cultural barriers to enrollment and improve upon outdated recruitment and retention practices.

By convening many of the country’s leading clinical trial and diversity experts, physicians, scholars, authors, and key opinion leaders, this program will explore health equity concerns of decentralized clinical trials in the U.S. This program will also provide best practices, new insights, and novel trends in building a more diverse and inclusive clinical trial ecosystem in the U.S.