Project I.M.P.A.C.T.
Physicians
The National Medical Association has long recognized that the lack of involvement by African Americans and other people of color in clinical trials has contributed to health disparities. Clinical trials are fundamental to our understanding of the proper diagnosis and treatment of disease and quality of life. However, African American physicians and patients are underrepresented in important medical research to find treatments for the very diseases that affect them.
Reasons Why African Americans Physicians Do Not Participate
- Lack of Opportunity
- Lack of Awareness (where to start)
- Lack of Time
- Lack of Study Coordinator (support personnel)
- Too Much Paper Work
- Reimbursement Considerations
- Resources/Initial Investment
- No Academic Affiliation
- No Institutional Review Board
- Concern for Patient Safety
- No Interest
Why African American Physicians Should Care
Because the clinical research process impacts so much of our lives, e.g. what we think about disease, what we eat, and what medicines we take, etc.
- Product Development, Standard of Care - Relevance of data from a drug trial is determined by how well the participants reflect you.
- Product Approvals - Products are being prescribed for African Americans without data on safety and efficacy. This amounts to an uncontrolled experiment in African Americans for new products hitting the market.
- Targeted Therapies Based on Genetics - Drugs are becoming more specific for people based on genetic understanding disease. African Americans must be a part of this pool from which drug targets are derived.
- Product Approvals Based on Non-US Data - When new drugs are marketed based on clinical data from other countries, it is appropriate to be concerned about the relevance of the observations to you as an African American.
- Fewer Minority Physicians as Potential Investigators - Observers of drug safety and efficacy should be culturally competent.
- Impact of Managed Care - Managed care formularies should reflect the needs of their diverse population rather than one size fits all.
- Opportunities for Training - For a list of organizations that conduct training for investigators see the Resource Section.
Links to Pharmaceutical Investigator Databases
AstraZeneca’s ClinicalTrialDoctors.com
Circle of Experts
We are working to involve African Americans in all aspects of the clinical research process — protocol development, mentors, public and private advisory boards/committees, Institutional Review Boards, faculty, etc. If you are interested in joining our circle of experts, please e-mail, fax or mail us a copy of your curriculum vitae and state your area of expertise and interest.