BlackDoctor: 4 Health Experts Address Clinical Trials Myths and Assumptions
BlackDoctor recently interviewed Yelba Castellon-Lopez, MD, a research scientist in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai, and Michael Farkouh, MD, associate dean for Research and Clinical Trials, about hesitancy among some members of the Black community to join clinical trials, how to build trust and increase their participation.
Black people remain underrepresented in clinical trials due to historic mistrust, misinformation and misconceptions about the healthcare system. Castellon-Lopez told BlackDoctor that community-based approaches can help make clinical trials more inclusive, which would help determine whether certain medical treatments are effective for Black people.
“Working with the community and listening … I think if we stop and listen, that’s a really great way to start to build trust. And then building a bidirectional relationship, where it’s not just one-sided,” Castellon-Lopez said.
Farkouh told BlackDoctor that he is developing a “buddy system” at Cedars-Sinai that he hopes will encourage more members of the Black community to join clinical trials.
“Black patients who have participated in trials before could be supportive for patients who are considering randomizing in a clinical trial,” he said.
Farkouh added that Black clinical trial participants gain both immediate and broad health benefits from participating in medical research.
“There’s a great statistic that shows that if you’re in a clinical trial, regardless of what you receive or what diagnostic or therapeutic intervention you’re randomized to, you have better outcomes,” Farkouh said. “You have better surveillance, better contact with health care providers, more comprehensive care.”
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