Dismantling Health Inequity by Increasing Diversity in Healthcare Begins with You
If you have ever considered a career in healthcare, now is the perfect time to begin that journey. The demand for diversity in the healthcare field not only continues to rise, but it remains a challenge.
Prioritizing diversity in healthcare is essential for creating a system that truly serves all patients effectively and equitably. In Boston, deep-rooted health inequities that affect marginalized demographic groups and neighborhoods persist. Addressing these health inequities requires several modes of intervention, policy changes and community partnerships. It also includes educating and preparing tomorrow’s diverse leaders, like you, for successful careers in healthcare.
Urban College of Boston plays a crucial role in addressing health inequities by preparing a diverse workforce to lead in healthcare and other fields. By focusing on multilingual education and accessibility, Urban College is breaking down barriers that have historically limited opportunities for marginalized communities.
Founded in 1993 by Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), a leading Boston-based anti-poverty agency, Urban College is an accredited two-year college offering instruction in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. Their mission is to open new pathways to opportunity through individualized, supportive and multilingual education that prepares a diverse community of learners to pursue career advancement and transform their lives and that of their communities.
Urban College’s Clinical Research Certificate program is the first step toward becoming an advocate for equitable healthcare.
The Landscape of Health Inequities in Boston
Historically, Boston's diverse neighborhoods have told a story of stark health disparities. For instance, areas with higher socioeconomic status and predominantly white populations often experience significantly better health outcomes than neighborhoods with lower income levels and greater proportions of people of color.
These statistics also convey the importance of diversity in clinical trials to better determine health and mortality outcomes by race and ethnicity.
Graph Sourced from the Health of Boston 2023 Provisional Mortality and Life Expectancy Report
A Step Towards Equity: Becoming a Healthcare Professional
Diversity representation in clinical research is a step toward improving the generalizability of scientific findings across a range of clinical studies.
According to the FDA, “Participants in clinical trials should represent the patients that will use the medical products. This is often not the case—people from racial and ethnic minorities and other diverse groups are underrepresented in clinical research. This is a concern because people of different ages, races, and ethnicities may react differently to certain medical products.”
Clinical trials are research that studies and evaluates the effects of intervention(s), such as medical devices, drugs, diets, and lifestyle choices, for effectiveness and safety.
They’re the cornerstone of scientific progress and the development of new treatments and therapies. However, the effectiveness and safety of these advancements can only be assured when clinical trials reflect the diversity of the populations they aim to serve including race, ethnicity, age, sex, and sexual orientation.
Diversity is Needed in Clinical Research
Clinical Research Careers Are In Demand
Inclusivity in clinical research is not just a matter of ethical responsibility, it is also a practical necessity for advancing public health for all.
As a Clinical Research Coordinator, you can help make a difference in equitable health care and sustainable access.
A career in clinical research holds the potential to significantly impact healthcare access and representation by ensuring that diverse populations are included in clinical trials. By integrating individuals from varied backgrounds into research studies, clinical researchers can contribute to more equitable health outcomes and enhance the generalizability of medical findings.
According to Aerotek, “the global clinical trial service market is predicted to reach $64 billion by 2020, continuing to drive a rising demand for broad based hiring.” According to Zippia®, “about 4,600 new jobs” are projected for clinical researchers over the next decade.
With a projected growth rate of +8.92%, and medium income of $157,747, careers in clinical research is a trend that is likely to continue for years.
As a Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC), you would manage and conduct the day-to-day activities of a clinical trial. Beyond administrative duties, responsibilities of a CRC may include acting as a liaison for the clinical site, ensuring staff are properly trained per the protocol, recruiting and/or registering participants, maintaining study guidelines, and collecting and/or reviewing the data before it is entered into a study database.
Through our Clinical Research Certificate, Urban College is preparing tomorrow’s leaders in the field of clinical research and supporting workforce diversity in a high in-demand career. Take that powerful first step today towards earning your Clinical Research Certificate at Urban College of Boston and help create positive equitable change in healthcare.
Urban College is a minority-serving institution committed to empowering students to boldly pursue their dreams and lead change within their communities.
Student Population of Urban College 2022-2023
To meet students wherever and whenever they are, Urban College offers flexible and affordable courses online and in hybrid formats. Explore our programs and learn how we help you to embrace your dreams and empower your life. Apply today!
About Urban College of Boston:
Urban College of Boston is a private, non-profit college accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).
A federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI) with thirty years of experience providing multilingual college course offerings in Boston, Urban College has long served an ethnically- and racially- diverse student body. Of the over 1,100 students enrolled at Urban College, 59% identified as Hispanic or Latinx, 14% as Black or African American, 10% as Asian, 6% as white, 3% as another race or ethnicity, and 8% did not indicate their race or ethnicity.
During the same period, 92% of students were women and the average age was 37. Learn more about Urban College of Boston.