The importance of diversity in clinical trials.

By now, we all know that clinical trials are the gateway to future medical therapies and treatments. But we also must keep in mind the need for participants of diverse backgrounds and identities in these clinical trials.

Medicine is not one-size-fits-all. While a potential new treatment may work for one participant, it might not have the same effect on someone else. And the truth is, if a treatment doesn’t work for everyone, it works for no one. This is why it is so critically important to include participants of every race, age, background, and ancestry in clinical trials – so that researchers can determine if a potential treatment will be successful for everyone.

Unfortunately, there is plenty of misinformation spread on the internet regarding participation in clinical trials. That, combined with a lack of access to current information on clinical research and the fact that clinical trials were not always conducted in safe ways, can deter people of diverse backgrounds from enrolling.

Because of this steady need for clinical trial participants of all backgrounds, The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) approached us with a desire to create a video that communicates the importance of diversity in clinical trials. The hope was that potential participants from underrepresented backgrounds would feel encouraged to enroll in a clinical trial and contribute to important research.

As we developed the video above, we tapped into community advocates and patients who are directly involved in diversifying clinical research. They assisted us in nailing down the topics, language, images, and design of the video, as it was crucial to us to ensure the information we communicated was not only accurate but approachable and engaging as well.

The end result is one we’re incredibly proud of. The video highlights personal clinical trial stories and the benefits of clinical trials for people from underrepresented backgrounds, and it explains the importance of including a diverse group of participants in clinical research. It won a Pharmaceutical Executive APEX Award in 2023, which was a total bonus for us. And it also afforded us the opportunity to take part in a webinar – Insights on Developing an Impactful DEI Video.