Omaha medical clinic highlights lack of minority representation in medical research

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Quality Clinical Research is on a mission to bridge the health disparity many minorities face daily.

“We don’t know if those medications are really being studied on people who are minorities because we don’t have representation,” said COO Tracie Wesson.

Wesson said it’s an issue that’s constantly overlooked. The minority groups that are the least represented in research are Latinos and Hispanics, along with African Americans.

”We’re just not a part of the process,” Wesson said.

Tracy Milgram found that Latinos and Hispanics make up 11% of research participants, while African Americans make up only 8%, which are both about four percentage points below the population.

“Not everybody’s the same,” Milgram said. “Different treatments help different people and bodies react differently.”

Milgram and her team are now going out into the community to inform minority groups like African Americans, Latinos and Hispanics.

Keyllin Medina, a bilingual recruiter with the clinic, joined the effort to have minorities participate in research related to medications and vaccines.

“People don’t know it’s available to them, but it does make a difference,” Medina said.

Quality Clinical Research has also partnered with SOMA to expand its research in South Omaha.

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