Recruitment of Multicultural Research Participation
Equitable recruitment is extremely important to the integrity of research. Reaching out to minority populations requires effort, but is necessary to ensure that results are generalizable. Several resources at the University may help in the recruitment of minority participants.
The PEERRS training program includes a module on research and special populations, a good first step toward understanding some of the barriers to participation today.
Program for Multicultural Health can provide expert consultation and training to ensure that recruitment campaigns are appropriate and research staff is prepared to work with diverse populations.
The Office of Diversity and Career Development is associated with University of Michigan Medical School. The consortium aims to provide support and resources for investigators researching minority health issues.
The Center for Health Communications Research (CHCR) is an interdisciplinary team of behavioral scientists, health educators, multimedia designers, and software engineers specializing in the development of tailored, media-rich, interactive communications. They can help you to develop tailored communication for the recruitment of multicultural populations.
History
In the past few decades, many changes have been made to better protect all participants in research studies. Potential participants may have questions regarding past poor practices in clinical research. Knowing the history of such studies will help you to answer their questions openly and honestly, building trust with potential participants. Click here to review a timeline of human subjects research regulations.
Articles of Interest
- Review of Community-Based Research: Assessing Partnership Approaches to Improve Public Health
- Click here for a list of literature sources on strategies in recruiting minorities into Clinical Trials.
Informative Presentations
- Information on Engaging People of Color in Clinical Research
- Sex/Gender and Minority Inclusion in NIH Clinical Research
- Minorities in Clinical Trials – You’ve Got the Power (Coming Soon)
Other Helpful sites
NIH Policies on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities As Participants in Research:
http://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/women_min.htm
The Women’s Health Registry contains information from women interested in participating in research, and can assist with recruitment. http://www.med.umich.edu/whp/registry/
In addition to the above information, Investigators are also encouraged to meet with the Minority Health Research Program (MHRP) Staff, which is the site for many research studies on minority health issues.
