Abstract
A recently released report from the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 1 (NASEM; GC is a co-author) addresses, through specific recommendations as well as a summary of barriers and facilitators, the urgency of improving representation of underrepresented populations in clinical trials and research. Lack of representation in research produces trial findings that cannot be widely generalized, undermines trust in medical research and in our public health system, contributes to disparities in health outcomes, and costs society hundreds of billions of dollars. For example, in recent years, the percentage of Hispanic people enrolled in clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has ranged from 6.7 to 10.8%, even though Hispanic people make up 19 2% of the US population. 1, 2 Disparities also exist for other groups: American Indian study participants were underrepresented in 4 of the 5 years covered in the report and African American study participants were underrepresented in 3 of the 5 years. 1, 3