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Doctors of Color Stress the Importance of Diversity in Clinical Trials in Partnership with Pfizer
by Black Love Team
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September 26, 2024

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Doctors of Color Stress the Importance of Diversity in Clinical Trials in Partnership with Pfizer

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In the search for equitable healthcare, diversity in clinical trials is critical. Black Love spoke with two leading physicians who are passionate about making medicine accessible for all people. Dr. Onyeka Obioha-Lolange, board certified dermatologist and founder and owner of Boutik Dermatology by ObiohaMD, and Dr. Merije Chukumerije, a Los Angeles cardiologist who specializes in sports cardiology, shared their insights on why inclusive research is not just an ethical imperative, but a practical necessity.

Black Love co-founder Codie Elaine Oliver, who comes from a family of eight Howard University-educated doctors, including her father and grandfather, sat down to chat with Dr. Obioha-Lolange and Dr. Chukumerije. Together, the group stresses the urgent need for clinical trials that reflect the diverse demographics of the populations they aim to serve.

“Clinical trials are really important in dermatology because they expand our knowledge of dermatologic conditions, also treatment responses,” Dr. Obioha explains to Oliver. “For dermatology specifically, there are variances in skin type, skin response, skin reactivity, pigmentation that varies based on different skin types. So having a lack of representation results in a gap in knowledge and thereby a healthcare inequity.”

Dr. Obioha adds that “until we have increased representation in these trials, we kind of just generalize.” Many treatments will show that they are “really, really effective,” but the treatment was never tested on Black skin, the dermatologist says.

“We don’t have the percentage and the numbers to determine whether, in deeply pigmented skin, is it as effective,” Dr. Obioha shares, “Clinical trials help us increase the amount of information that we have to result in better outcomes for our community. When clinical trial participation reflects the diversity of our communities, we learn more about potential medicines and vaccines, including how they work for different people. Everyone needs to be represented.”

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Dr. Chukumerije highlights the importance of diversity in clinical trials when it comes to cardiology. Black patients have a higher incidence of the risk factors associated with heart disease like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity, according to the American Heart Association. Clinical trials provide evidence-based statistics on how different medicines and vaccines work for us, which contributes to better health outcomes for our community, Dr. Chukumerije says.

“A lot of patients are Black,” the cardiologist tells Oliver. “I think the biggest problem is the fact that in America, around 14% of the population is Black. So when you talk about there being only 3% of cardiologists being Black, that’s a huge disproportionate number, right? So clearly, not enough.”

Dr. Chukumerije wants his patients to know that he’s their “accountability partner.”

“When you have a doctor that looks like you, when you have a healthcare provider that knows your background, that maybe has gone to the HBCU that you went to, or that is familiar with the type of cooking that you grew up with, then they have an added level of insight into your background, and that lets them be a better provider for you,” he says. “I think that’s missing right now in healthcare.”

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“I’m super passionate about clinical trials because for me to do my job super effectively, for patients to trust what I’m saying, I have to have something that backs it up,” Dr. Chukumerije concludes.”Clinical trials allow us to feel confident that this is statistically significant and it is evidence based.”

Black patients deserve care developed with us in mind. It’s important to have medicines and vaccines that can treat and prevent diseases in everyone, regardless of biological and environmental factors, genetics, race, age, gender and more.

As Dr. Obioha and Dr. Chukumerjie explained, the push for greater diversity in clinical trials is not just about representation, but about advancing medicine for all. As we move forward, it is essential to champion these efforts and advocate for systemic changes that will make diversity in clinical trials a standard, not an exception. Learn more at pfizerclinicaltrials.com/blacklove.

 

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