GHUCCTS Community Engagement (CE) team members Dr. Carla Williams and Florencia Gonzalez speak with the Center for Health Journalism at USC and Howard University Radio WHUR 96.3 about the importance of diversity in clinical trials.

Candace Y.A. Montague with the University of Southern California's Center for Health Journalism interviewed both Dr. Williams and Ms. Gonzalez for the article Recruiting Black volunteers for COVID-19 vaccine trials means overcoming mistrust. In the piece Dr. Williams emphasizes patient safety for both researchers and participants, noting that "it’s important that people know that there are strong safeguards in place to protect their safety and confidentiality. This includes a careful process of reviewing a research project before giving approval to start enrolling people in a study.” Ms. Gonzalez adds that thoughtful and personalized materials, especially for participants with limited English proficiency, can also help build trust while making sure participants understand their rights. 

Dr. Williams goes into greater detail about the importance of building trust among the Africian American community in her interview on Howard University Radio WHUR 96.3. In a joint interview with Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, Infectious Disease Physician and Founder of Grapvevine Health, Dr. Williams talks about the current and historical barriers that exist that may discourage African Americans from participating in clinical trials, and how we can rebuild that trust and ensure patient protections moving forward. An archive of the interview can be found on the WHUR website.