We value including people from underrepresented groups in our research. Inclusion of diverse groups of people in research helps to ensure that we are developing and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments that are good for everyone and not just for a subset of people. Reaching out to a more diverse population could mean involving underrepresented groups such as women, racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ people, persons with a low income or socioeconomic status, and the educationally disadvantaged in our research.
The Revitalization Act of 1993 and subsequent updates directed the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to create guidelines to ensure the appropriate outreach to and inclusion of minorities and women in all NIH-funded research. This policy was created with the intention of ensuring that the research results can be applied to the entire population with the condition being studied, not just subgroups.
Without the inclusion of underrepresented groups in research, health disparities will continue to rise and may even foster mistrust in the healthcare system. Although research has come a long way since decades past in terms of inclusion, there is still much work to be done. We need to strive to do better and make the effort to go out into the community to find individuals within more diverse groups and include them in all stages of our research from focus groups and advisory boards to research participants. Good research means finding effective treatments for the benefit of all, not just some. As researchers, we can make this a reality by developing and nurturing our relationships with diverse communities.