UCSF Event Highlights Importance of Diversity in Research Participants

December 07, 2017
Recruitment panel
Left to Right: Vanessa, Jacoby, MD, MAS, School of Medicine; William Brown, III, PhD, DrPH, Assistant Professor, UCSF School of Medicine; Linda Franck, RN, PhD, FAAN, Professor, UCSF School of Nursing; Shanell Williams, Community Engagement Specialist, California Preterm Birth Initiative; Stacy Osua, BS, Research Associate, UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations; Robert Rodriguez, MD, Professor, UCSF School of Medicine

More than 120 people packed Byers Hall auditorium at UCSF Mission Bay on October 31 to learn tips, strategies, and pearls of wisdom to improve diversity among research participants and why this is critical to advancing health science. Speakers and panelists came from UCSF’s School of Medicine, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, Center for Vulnerable Populations and California Preterm Birth Initiative. The CTSI Participant Recruitment Program and Differences Matter Research Action Group sponsored the event.

“The seminar was a great way to highlight the importance of focusing on recruitment of groups that have been underrepresented in clinical studies including racial and ethnic minorities, women, older adults, and LGBT populations. All researchers have a responsibility to focus on enrolling a diverse study population. We are fortunate to have resources and experts at UCSF to support recruitment of underrepresented populations including free consultations and web-based “how-to” videos at recruit.ucsf.edu,” stated Vanessa Jacoby, MD, director of the Participant Recruitment Program at CTSI.

Various attendees expressed additional interest in UCSF's effort to improve the recruitment of diverse research participant populations and gleaned key takeaways from the panel.

"I have been working on ways to make it easier for diverse populations to join our study. The seminar has motivated me to keep pushing through the challenges and roadblocks that occur, because this really will make a difference to participants,” shared attendee Aleka Gürel, MPhil, research analyst at the UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health.

View the Video Webcast & Slides from the Event

Related Announcements

Recruitment Resources

  • CTSI offers consultations on any aspect of recruitment—including recruitment of underrepresented populations. The first hour is FREE! Visit consult.ucsf.edu to put in a request. 
  • Learn more about using the EHR for recruitment using the Recruitment Letter Service. Letter templates are available in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese.
  • The Participant Recruitment Program has a new one-stop-shop for recruitment resources: visit recruit.ucsf.edu to learn about tools and tips for recruitment.
  • UCSF’s CTSI has a practice based research network that facilitates research partnerships with community-based clinics with diverse populations. Go to SFBayCRN.org to learn more.

Have an idea? Want to get involved?

Learn more about the Differences Matter Research Action Group
Get in touch with the Participant Recruitment Program at [email protected].

Event Highlights from Social Media
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Topics: 
Recruitment