In 2000, Marcia Killien and colleagues published “Involving Minority and Underrepresented Women in Clinical Trials: The National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health,” hereafter “Involving Women,” in the Journal of Women’s Health and Gender-Based Medicine. Killien and colleagues address the historical exclusion of women from participation in medical research studies and difficulties in generalizing the results of studies that exclude women. They propose strategies to improve participation of minority and underrepresented women in clinical studies and identify systemic barriers such as mistrust, lack of access, and cultural insensitivity that have historically excluded those populations from clinical trials. The article emphasizes the necessity of inclusive research to ensure that medical advancements benefit all women equitably and suggests strategies to achieve more inclusive clinical research practices.
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