“Not all medications work the same in everybody. So, if we want to have medications that work well for everybody, we need to have everyone included in our research studies.”
This simple truth is at the heart of Dr. Robert L. Newton, Jr.’s work at Pennington Biomedical Research Center—where he specializes in addressing health disparities in African American populations.
Through this work, Dr. Newton engages directly with a challenge faced by researchers across the country: How do we recruit more members of minority communities to participate in research studies?
The Importance of Diversity in Medical Research Studies
FDA records on clinical trials conducted in the U.S. show that minorities make up less than 10% of trial participants nationwide, despite representing 24% of the population.
There are myriad, systemic reasons that contribute to the health disparities between African American and white populations. A major contributor is the fact that, for decades, scientists have developed medical interventions that work well for their majority white study participants but are less effective for individuals of races underrepresented in the research.
“We now know that the optimal treatment for hypertension is different if you are an African American person than if you are white,” is an example given by Dr. Owen Carmichael, Director of the Biomedical Imaging Center at Pennington Biomedical. “So, that’s a case where simply saying hypertension is hypertension is hypertension doesn’t work.”
Pennington Biomedical’s commitment to ensuring diversity in clinical trials goes beyond race, emphasizing the many variables that can contribute to an intervention’s effectiveness in members of one population over another. Dr. Newton stresses the need to address as many variables as possible before a treatment can be expected to benefit all people equally.
“We know that people are from different cultures, have different socio-economic backgrounds, different experiences,” he says. “People live in different environments. So, when we develop behavioral interventions and we don’t take diversity into account, we’re ignoring and missing the important role these factors play in behavior change.”
Spreading Awareness, Increasing Access, and Facilitating Relationships
“Studies have shown that African Americans and other people of color are willing to take part in research,” says Dr. Newton, emphasizing that the barriers keeping them from doing so are not insurmountable. “We don’t want to continue to foster the belief that people of color just don’t want to participate in studies.”
Trust is a major issue, as many have experienced lack of access to adequate health care in the U.S., and the nation’s history of exploitation of minorities in research. Another issue is the need to build awareness.
“We know that people of color have said that these studies are not advertised in their communities,” says Dr. Newton. “If you don’t have somebody coming to tell you about research studies and why you need to be a part of them, then it’s just not part of your system. You don’t know about it.”
Pennington Biomedical is working to address the issues of trust and awareness through various community engagements and initiatives. Events such as Wellness Day for Women, Men’s Health Summit, and the Senior Black American Health Fair invite the community into Pennington Biomedical’s facilities—providing guided tours of the campus and inviting visitors to meet researchers to learn more about projects.
“Allowing these diverse populations to see what we do and where we do it removes the mystery and is helping to address participation issues,” says Dr. Newton.
Pennington Biomedical also works to recruit members of minority communities by meeting them where they are. By building relationships with “community champions”—leaders in the African American community such as pastors, community nurses, and political figures—researchers can spread the word about research work through trusted advocates.
“By working with trusted community centers that are promoting health, similar to Pennington Biomedical’s mission, we can start to build trust in the community,” says Dr. Newton. “Then, when we advertise these studies, it’s my belief that they will be more willing and empowered to come out and participate in our studies, because they understand who Pennington Biomedical is, what we’re trying to do, and how we benefit the community.”
Learn more about the work Pennington Biomedical is doing in this space and explore opportunities to participate in ongoing research trials at pbrc.edu/research-trials.
