Diversity

Clinical trials are crucial to modern medicine, generating essential evidence about how people respond to new treatments with the goal of improving health and well-being for all. That objective is compromised when clinical trial populations lack demographic diversity. If participants are drawn predominantly from a single group, study findings may have limited external validity and may not apply to the broader population. Because of this, ensuring meaningful representation in clinical research is key to delivering equitable, high-quality care.

Mayo Clinic is committed to broad representation and inclusion in clinical trials. Our scientists and clinicians are already working with communities to accomplish this important work. We're also addressing challenges to access that prevent understudied populations from enrolling in clinical trials. 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 all patients 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 populations.
• Without inclusion, some populations may not 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.

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.

Broad representation in clinical trials leads to responsible science and better medicine. By ensuring our clinical trial participants reflect the diverse communities we serve, we can increase our understanding of the effectiveness and safety of therapies for the broader population — but we can't do it without you.