What if Chicago had more Hispanic/Latino and African American principal investigators and support team members conducting medical/clinical research trials? It would not be a complete solution, but if that happened, they might have a much better chance of getting more Hispanic/Latino and African American Chicagoans to participate in medical research projects. Unfortunately, the numbers are bleak and borderline pitiful. Nationally:
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Only 5.7% of physicians are Hispanic/Latino.
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Only 5.0% of physicians are African Americans.
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The percentage of African American physicians in the U.S. has only increased 4% in the last 85 years.
Those numbers are truly disturbing. However, a solution would be to increase the number of Latino/Hispanic and African American youth entering into healthcare careers who may enter into conducting medical research. FGA member the I Am Abel Foundation is dedicated to getting more Chicago minority youth into that pipeline. The work of the I Am Abel Foundation and similar organizations is supported by many FGA members, including the Hektoen Institute of Medicine and the Michael Reese Research & Education Foundation. You can learn more about the I Am Abel Foundation and other efforts to get Chicago youth to consider careers in the medical/health care sector. You can also learn more about careers in clinical research from this offering from a multi-media offereing from the Association of Clinical Research Professionals entitled “Getting Started In Clinical Reseacrh.”
