Where Are the Black Women in Clinical Trials?

When we hear that a medicine or treatment is “evidence-based,” we might assume the research behind it represents everyone who will eventually use it. But what happens when certain groups are missing from that evidence?In this episode of Her Whole Health, Rebecca explores the underrepresentation of Black women in clinical research and asks an important question: where are the Black women in clinical trials?For years, conversations about Black participation in medical research have often focused on mistrust, particularly in the context of historical and ongoing medical injustice. But is mistrust the whole story?Research from GCI Health surveyed 500 Black women across the United States and found that 80% were open to participating in a clinical trial, yet 73% said they had never been asked to participate. https://gcihealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Layered-Executive-Summary-_FINAL.pdf This episode explores how recruitment, access, cost, location, communication and opportunity can shape who gets to participate in research—and why representation matters as healthcare moves further into genomics, artificial intelligence and personalised medicine.