Over 530 People Spoke Up for Participation in Health Research and Workforce!

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Over 530 members of Salud America! endorsed our public comment to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in their Request for Information (RFI) on how to advance participation among all population groups within the biomedical research workforce and research field.

Other organizations like the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council On Governmental Relations, and Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology also submitted comments.

The RFI was open for comment from March 1 to April 23, 2021.

At Salud America!, we believe that increasing diversity among research leaders and clinical trial participants will help achieve true health equity, especially for populations disproportionately impacted by health issues and COVID-19, like the Latino population.

That’s why we submitted a comment from our leader, Dr. Amelie Ramirez.

Dr. Amelie Ramirez’s Comment

Dr. Amelie Ramirez, Director of Salud America!, submitted the following comment to NIH on how to advance biomedical research:

Increasing participation among people of all backgrounds in the biomedical research workforce will help us improve health for Latinos and all, people, who suffer from disproportionate health issues.

To increase participation among people of all backgrounds in medical schools, there must be an interest and awareness for a career medicine early on. This can be addressed through mentorship programs, internships, and fellowships that NIH funds with all communities, increased financial aid for students seeking higher education, and organizations that support students once in medical school. NIH should support programs that address the lack of participation in the doctoral and research fields, such as the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which significantly increased trainees’ confidence to apply to a doctoral program and academic self-efficacy (https://salud.to/exitostudy).

Additionally, steps must be taken to address the lack of participation in clinical trials and research. Latinos represent 18.5% of the U.S. population, but are less than 10% of those in federal cancer and drug studies. With the use of relevant digital health communications, leadership networks, and clinical partnerships, we can reach more communities that are often left out of trials and research.

What Happens Next?

Now that the comment submission period has ended, the NIH will review comments and incorporate feedback into future planning and funding.

As they asked for comments that could be implemented in the next three to six months as well as next few years, they will likely incorporate some of the feedback in short term and require more planning for the long term goals.

In the meantime, Ramirez is continuing to lead efforts to engage more Latinos in clinical trials. She is leading a program to create Latino-focused recruitment strategies and systems for cancer and Alzheimer’s clinical trials. This work is supported by a grant from Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

“Our new project will allow us to use culturally relevant digital health communications, advocacy networks, and clinical partnerships to promote health equity and advance clinical trials for cancer treatment and Alzheimer’s disease among Latinos,” she said.

You can help advance health equity at the local level.

Download a Health Equity Report Card!

The Health Equity Report Card by Salud America! at UT Health San Antonio lets you see many local children are living in poverty and food deserts, what access to education and healthcare your neighbors have, and how many households get access to SNAP food benefits.

Then you can email your Health Equity Report Card to community leaders, share it on social media, and use it to make the case to address inequities where help is needed most!

GET YOUR HEALTH EQUITY REPORT CARD!