The Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative, including Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and local hospital systems, is hosting its third annual health equity challenge series starting this week.
The series of events, starting Sept. 5, are meant to explore minority communities' health care experiences and build trust with medical researchers as part of a broader effort to get more minorities to participate in medical studies.
The events, which are free and open to the public, include screenings of documentary films about the health care experiences of Asians and Pacific Islanders, elderly and LGBTQ+ people, a book discussion on building trust and a panel discussion about the need for partnerships in health care.
Trust is a central theme of the events, said Gelise Thomas, CTSC'S director of Research Health Equity.
"Let the CTSC have an opportunity to earn your trust and serve as a resource," she said, adding that such trust and engagement is important "if you're really interested in learning more about research and being a part of advancement of health equity through research."
The hope is that attendees will stay in touch with researchers after the series and learn more about ongoing and future research projects. Organizers also hope more minorities will participate in clinical research studies. Increased minority participation will help lead to more effective treatments for those populations, Thomas said.
“If we don't have diverse representation in research, then the drugs that people take, the interventions that they are prescribed by health care professionals, they may not work on you,” she said.
The National Academies of Science came to the same conclusion in a 2022 report that found that a lack of representation in clinical research was an urgent problem that led to greater health disparities and reduced access.
"Without major advancements in the inclusion of underrepresented and excluded populations in health research, meaningful reductions in disparities in chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease remain unlikely," the report concluded. "Purposeful and deliberate change is needed."
The report also found that a lack of diversity in research led to increased mortality and disability among minority groups. For example, the study found that a lack of diversity in research resulted in increases of more than 20% in minorities’ mortality and disability from diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure.
The report also concluded that a lack of diversity reduced minorities' access to new drug and medical treatments.
"The generalizability of these (medical) recommendations to all populations may be limited when the evidence base for a specific population does not exist," the National Academies concluded. "When these recommendations are tied to insurance coverage, these gaps may affect reimbursement of, and therefore access to, health care."
Those interested in attending the events can register on the university’s website.
