In this editorial, editors of the New England Journal of Medicine explore racial and ethnic gaps in large research studies, along with the cause and effect of such disparities. Topics discussed include lack of representation of participants from the racial and ethnic groups that are disproportionately affected by the illnesses being studied, logistic obstacles to representation, and lack of investigators and study staff who are themselves members of minority groups. Authors also discuss changes throughout the research enterprise that are critical to addressing these disparities.
The Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) is part of the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN), which is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) through its Division of Rare Diseases Research Innovation (DRDRI). CEGIR is funded under grant number U54AI117804 as a collaboration between NCATS, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
