Trust, Awareness And Access - The Three Keys To Sustaining Diversity In Clinical Trials

I recently had the privilege of attending and presenting at the inaugural SCRS Diversity Conference in Austin, TX.  It was an incredible experience to be among industry thought leaders, sites, sponsors, CRO’s, and industry partners who diversely represented their professional and personal communities. I was deeply impacted to see the universal commitment to diversity efforts amongst all attendees. I quickly realized that a conference like this, centered on diversity, is not only beneficial, but highly necessary. The issue of lack of diversity in clinical trials still persists greatly to this day. In 2020, the FDA found that among 32,000 clinical trial participants 75% identified as white, and only 6%, 8%, and 11% identified as Asian, Black, or Hispanic respectively. This is an issue that affects us all - with lack of diversity in clinical trials, there is a lack of nuanced understanding of the treatments being tested. Diverse communities deserve to, and need to be represented in trials.

Some key takeaways from the conversations at the SCRS conference were that some of the largest barriers to overcome regarding lack of diversity in trials are: lack of trust, lack of awareness, and lack of access.  These are no small barriers, however with an industry commitment, coupled with the proper solutions we can move the needle in the right direction.