Joining a clinical trial can be confusing and intimidating. That’s why we sat down with Dr. Kevin Pruitt, MD, PhD, an OHOW Advisory Board member, to gain insight into clinical trials, the role of historical medical mistrust, and the best ways to get involved in research.
Dr. Pruitt is a great choice because he is medical scientist and physician who completed his PhD in Biomedical Science from the Einstein Institute of Medicine and his medical degree from the University of Science and Technology School of Medicine. He is also a member of the OHOW advisory board.
Dr. Pruitt’s research interests include minority Health Affairs, Sickle Cell Anemia, and HIV in minority populations. He holds a certification in Good Clinical Practice and Trials from the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
Here are the highlights of what we discussed:
OHOW: What message would you want all patients to know about clinical trials?
Dr. Pruitt: “I want all patients to know that even if you participate in a clinical trial and you have minimal success or no success, you still may be helping someone else. As a physician, when you enter a patient into a clinical trial, the worst thing you can do is tell them it’s going to work, because you cannot guarantee that, but it may help the next person who is in a similar position.”
Don’t be afraid to embrace research and science.
Dr. Pruitt: “The U.S. has some of the best medical science, technology, and innovation in the world, and that is because the U.S. is a heavily based clinical trial society and has a very diverse population, which is important in clinical trials.”
OHOW: What role does historical medical mistrust play in clinical trial participation?
There are currently racial and ethnic disparities in clinical trial participation, and historical medical mistrust plays a role in that. Dr. Pruitt has authored several published papers on medical mistrust among the Black American population. His papers highlight how historically harmful and unethical studies, such as the Tuskegee experiment in the 1900s, have contributed to lower healthcare utilization and medical mistrust among the Black-American population.
According to Dr. Pruitt’s paper 400 Years of Reasons: Medical-Mistrust by Black-American Population,
“Mistrust may be partially responsible for a decrease in healthcare-seeking behaviors among Black Americans… Distrust may also lead to increasing health disparities for a marginalized population. Thus, the Black-American community’s health disparity problem is believed to be facilitated by medical-mistrust.”
Mistrust has consistently contributed to health disparities and limited diversity in clinical research participation. This is important because diverse representation in clinical trials is essential for determining the effectiveness of new medications, treatments, and therapies across people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds. There are currently protocols and protections in place to ensure participant safety in clinical research, including informed consent, approval, and monitoring by various review boards.
OHOW: What role do clinicians play in connecting patients to clinical trial opportunities?
Dr. Pruitt: “There are two ways to enter clinical trials in general. The first is through the pharmaceutical companies that recruit participants directly within the community, and the second is through a healthcare professional. Though the most common method for clinical trial entry is through your healthcare provider.”
If you are interested in learning more about condition-specific clinical trials, talk to your healthcare provider, as they are familiar with your specific condition, relevant clinical trials, and which you may be eligible for. You can also visit the National Library of Medicine’s ClinicalTrials.gov tool, where you can search and filter by health condition and location, among other factors.
National Library of Medicine- Clinical Trials Search Tool
Does Age-Stratification Impact Medical-Mistrust Perceived by the Black-American Population?
Representation Matters: The Importance of Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials
Are Clinical Trials Safe? Protections That Exist for Participants