Research Participation of a Professional Organization in Clinical Trials: The Association of Black cardiologists Clinical Trial Investigator Identification Project.

Introduction: Black individuals continue to be underrepresented in clinical trials despite efforts by the National Institutes of Health and the Federal Drug Administration to increase their enrollment. Health care providers play a critical role in the recruitment of patients into clinical trials, as they have established relationships and are uniquely positioned to make referrals for participation. While prior initiatives have focused on training black physicians to conduct clinical research, we sought to determine the potential of utilizing a professional organization as a resource to identify established investigators to champion recruitment of underrepresented racial and ethnic populations.