Diversity

Too often, participants in clinical trials and other studies tend to be overwhelmingly white and male. This lack of diversity results in "one-size-fits-all medicine" that's outdated and falls short for many patients. As we enter an era of personalized or individualized medicine, we can only reshape health care by including all groups of people in clinical trials.

Mayo Clinic is committed to diversity and inclusion in clinical trials. Our scientists and clinicians are already working with communities to accomplish this important work. We're also addressing barriers that keep historically marginalized groups from enrolling in clinical trials. We're dedicated to understanding why certain communities have been excluded from enrolling in clinical trials, and why people from some groups might not want to participate. And we're doing the work to make sure every one of our studies is ethical, safe and inclusive.

We must all work together to make it easier for ethnic and racial minority groups, children, older adults, members of the LGBTQ community, and people with disabilities to participate in clinical trials. This is critical because:

• Lack of representation results in wider disparities and poorer outcomes for many diseases.
• What works for one person may not work for another. In addition, safety and effectiveness might vary across groups.
• Without inclusion, some populations do not get to experience the benefits of drugs and therapies targeted to them.
• Clinical trial participants may get treatments or options they wouldn't otherwise have access to, while at the same time helping improve medical care for everyone.

Medicine and medical treatments are rapidly changing and improving. And studies are more translational and effective when clinical research includes diverse populations. Discovery science needs to develop interventions and treatments tailored to all communities, so we can bridge the gap of health disparities. It is imperative that Mayo Clinic welcomes all people from all backgrounds into our clinical trials because we have a responsibility to help all patients.

Seeking out appropriate clinical trials is an important step to being empowered and proactive in your care. You can find trials by talking to your doctor or by searching Mayo's clinical trials website by condition, treatment or drug name.

Diversity in clinical trials leads to responsible science and better medicine. By including more people from more diverse groups in clinical trials, we can increase our understanding of the effectiveness and safety of therapies for the broader population — but we can't do it without you.

The videos below highlight Mayo Clinic physicians who are focused every day on achieving health equity, inclusion and diversity through their work.