Diversity in Biomedical Research

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00:00:14.12 Hello. I'm Larry Tabak and I serve as the principle deputy director
00:00:21.00 or the National Institutes of Health.
00:00:23.20 And today I'd like to update you on diversity in the NIH-supported biomedical research workforce.
00:00:31.28 Now, to begin, let's talk about why diversity matters.
00:00:38.14 It provides an enhanced quality of education in multiple settings.
00:00:44.13 It provides enhanced decision making,
00:00:48.06 racially and culturally concordant staff aid in the recruitment of individuals from minority groups in clinical trials,
00:00:59.20 racially similar physician-patient dyads
00:01:04.11 are related to greater patient satisfaction in ways that enhance communication
00:01:10.26 and participation in clinical research settings.
00:01:14.27 Underrepresented groups may preferentially conduct research in areas
00:01:21.08 related to health disparities or minority health
00:01:26.09 and a diverse workforce permeates all aspects of our nation's healthcare efforts.
00:01:34.19 This table displays the census of the population of the United States
00:01:44.14 by race and ethnicity, as compared to those who serve as principle investigators of NIH grants.
00:01:55.06 It doesn't take higher mathematics to see that we are woefully underrepresented in certain groups,
00:02:02.17 particularly black or African Americans and Hispanic or Latinos of any race.
00:02:11.05 Now, back in August of 2011, Donna Ginther and her colleagues published a paper in Science
00:02:23.22 which demonstrated that there is a disparity in the funding patterns of NIH R01 grants.
00:02:32.28 And so this just summarizes the data from a cohort that they looked at
00:02:39.22 from the years 2000 to 2006.
00:02:42.24 They analyzed over 83,000 R01 applications from PhD investigators
00:02:49.06 that were contributed by over 40,000 unique PhDs.
00:02:55.06 Of these, only 1,149 came from black PhDs
00:03:03.01 and that alone underscores a significant pipeline issue that we face.
00:03:08.00 Had the R01 applications from black applicants enjoyed the same success rate
00:03:15.15 as that enjoyed by white applicants, you would anticipate 337 applications to be awarded,
00:03:23.20 but only 185 were actually awarded, underscoring this disparity.
00:03:33.10 Now, here are some of the additional conclusions of the Ginther study.
00:03:37.22 They looked at a variety of parameters to observe what could make up the difference
00:03:46.16 in explaining the disparities in success rate.
00:03:51.11 First they found that award probabilities are correlated with NIH, a funding rank of the applicant's organization.
00:04:01.07 So, if you are at a top 1 through 30 NIH-funded organization,
00:04:07.01 you are far more likely to receive an award than if you are in an organization ranked 31 through 100.
00:04:15.12 However, in each rank group of study, black applicants still had the lowest award probability.
00:04:25.14 That's very disconcerting. In other words, even if you are at a top 30 organization,
00:04:30.11 black applicants still displayed a disparity relative to their majority colleagues.
00:04:36.24 Only citations and prior review committee experience reduced the disparities observed for black applicants.
00:04:48.06 But unfortunately, black and Hispanic applicants are less likely to resubmit a revised application
00:05:01.09 and as you no doubt understand, in the current funding climate,
00:05:06.07 it's rare that you are awarded an application the first time out.
00:05:13.05 Participation in NIH supported training or career development programs
00:05:18.24 have positive effects on R01 award rates,
00:05:24.05 but unfortunately, this advantage appears to help white applicants more than black and Asian applicants.
00:05:32.18 In response to these data and the general census,
00:05:39.07 the NIH director, Dr. Francis Collins and I, offered this policy forum
00:05:44.24 in Science magazine, entitled "Weaving a Richer Tapestry in Biomedical Science."
00:05:52.08 And in it, we outline the NIH plan for action.
00:05:55.16 First, to evaluate all current training programs
00:05:59.13 so that secondly, we can phase out those that are unsuccessful
00:06:03.16 and expand those which are.
00:06:07.07 Third, increase the number of early career reviewers, including individuals from underrepresented populations.
00:06:16.16 Fourth, to examine the grant review process for any unintended bias
00:06:23.25 and develop appropriate intervention.
00:06:26.12 Fifth, improve support for grant applicants
00:06:30.21 and then finally, gather expert advice on additional steps of action that NIH might be able to take.
00:06:38.21 With regard to that last point, Dr. Collins formed a working group on diversity in the biomedical research workforce
00:06:48.00 as part of his advisory committee and they recently provided a comprehensive strategy
00:06:54.28 in the form of recommendations that can be reviewed at this website.
00:07:02.06 And I just would like to quickly review these recommendations.
00:07:06.26 First, this committee concluded that NIH should conduct more rigorous of all training and career development programs.
00:07:16.28 Secondly, they said we should strengthen mentoring,
00:07:21.01 career preparation and retention.
00:07:24.08 Third, they recommended that we undertake a competitive grant process
00:07:32.05 to support infrastructure development in those comparatively under-resourced institutions
00:07:39.15 that have a documented track record of producing and supporting under-represented scientists.
00:07:47.25 And then finally, they recommended that we conduct research
00:07:53.13 on possible unconscious bias in peer review and test appropriate interventions.
00:08:01.25 NIH is now in the process of working through implementation strategies
00:08:10.19 for each of these recommendations.
00:08:13.26 We recognize that this is something that NIH alone can't do
00:08:18.01 but rather, it will require the partnership and collaboration with our extramural colleagues around the nation.
00:08:26.10 We look forward to working with you on this very, very important issue.

This Talk

Speaker: Lawrence Tabak

Audience:

Educators of H. School / Intro Undergrad
Educators of Adv. Undergrad / Grad
Researcher
Educators

Recorded: December 2012

Talk Overview

In this talk about diversity in biomedical research, Dr. Tabak reviews the data demonstrating the disparity between the numbers of minorities in the US population and the numbers in the scientific workforce, and he outlines the strategies put in place by the NIH to help rectify this inequality.

Speaker Bio

Lawrence Tabak

Larry Tabak is Principal Deputy Director of the NIH and a member of the NIH Working Group on Diversity in the Biomedical Research Workforce. He was director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research from 2000-2010. Tabak has received numerous honors including election to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Tabak’s… Continue Reading