Future of Health Summit 2020

Moving the Needle on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Clinical Research

Details of inequities and lack of diversity in clinical research have been revealed with the COVID-19 pandemic. Under-representation of diverse groups in clinical trials, mistrust in research, the lack of diversity across the healthcare workforce: Each contributes significantly to the persistence of these inequities. We need to define the respective roles of science, policy, and digital health technologies in making recruitment and retention in clinical trials more equitable and inclusive—particularly now, for COVID-19 treatments and vaccines. There is a critical need to integrate the patient perspective while ensuring that trials are conducted in a more equitable way. Engaging with stakeholders, such as academic researchers, industry, community leaders, and patient advocates, would help to fill the gaps. In this session, panelists will draw from a range of perspectives to focus on disrupting outdated systems for how research is pursued and conducted.