Diversity of Site Staff Highly Associated with Diversity of Patients Enrolled Trials, According to Tufts

A new study just released by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) shows that the proportion of a given race or ethnicity among investigative site personnel closely aligns with the corresponding race and ethnicity of patients enrolled in clinical trials at that site. The study also found that worldwide, regardless of geographic location, the diversity of patients enrolled in clinical trials is highly correlated with site personnel diversity.

The Tufts CSDD analysis is based on an online global survey of 3,462 principal investigators, study coordinators and site administrators. More than half of respondents are based in academic medical centers, large health systems and community hospitals; 43% are based in private physician practices, investigative sites, and site networks.

Key findings from the study are summarized in the November/December Tufts CSDD Impact Report, released today, and include the following:

• In the U.S., one-third of investigative site personnel in academic medical centers and community hospitals and nearly half of personnel in private sector research centers are representative of minority populations.
• Less than 10% of investigative site personnel in Europe are representative of minority populations.
• Among the most active therapeutic areas in drug development, infectious diseases, vaccines, and endocrinology have the most diverse clinical trial personnel.
• Investigative sites with highly diverse staff are more likely to view diversity as a critical success factor and to have developed operating practices encouraging diversity.

More of the study’s findings