The future of diversity in clinical trials

When Milan Lanier was in elementary school, she wore scrubs for “What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up” day. Born and raised in Melbourne, FL, Lanier always knew she wanted to be a physician.

Lanier was fortunate to have doctors who cared for her growing up, and it was not until later in life that she started to notice and reflect on the disparities in underserved communities.

While pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida, Lanier tutored Hispanic elementary-school students in English. She noticed that in math, these students aced every numeric problem, but when it came to word-based problems, the students struggled because of the language barrier. When Lanier spoke to the parents about their children’s academic progress, she was struck by the relief in the parents’ eyes. It occurred to her that because she could speak their language, this might be the first time a Spanish-speaking parent in her community was able to have a real conversation with their child’s educator. 

“Speaking to these parents, I started to think about patients in the medical field and the barriers they face in order to receive proper equitable care,” Lanier said. In fact, this moment made her reflect on the medical advice given to her late grandmother when she was a young girl. As a nine-year-old, Lanier was too young to understand this at the time, but years later as a college student she realized that her grandmother most likely faced medical neglect due to racial and ethnic barriers. This realization was a turning point for her, motivating her to pursue patient care and advocate for all populations in healthcare.  

Living outside of Florida for the first time in her life, Lanier is now a second-year medical student at Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, passionate to understand and address the various disparities in communities of color and serve as an advocate for others. She understands that clinical trials often do not reflect diverse populations and that more physicians of color need to be involved in clinical trials. As she continues her medical career, Lanier hopes that through community engagement and research on equity improvement, people will be encouraged to participate in clinical trials and learn to trust medical professionals.

As an eight-year-old girl in Vietnam, Trang Duong discovered a suspicious mole on her body. Like many in their community, the Duong family generally only sought out medical care when absolutely necessary. One reason was that the nearest hospital was a five-hour drive from their home. Nevertheless, Duong and her family made the trip to have the mole removed. Duong is grateful for this for at least two reasons. One, the mole was a teratoma tumor, which if left untreated would have had serious consequences. And two, the doctor’s care and reassurance inspired her to become a doctor herself.

A year later, after her family moved to the U.S., Duong’s emerging passion for helping others led her to volunteer at local charities and hospitals. These experiences drove her to study biology at St. John Fisher College. Unsure about her ability to become a physician, she initially planned to become a pharmacist, but after she returned to Vietnam and spent three months helping at a local hospital, Duong’s career goals began to change. She had her first taste of working directly with patients and this stimulated her desire for more patient interaction.

Following graduation, Duong worked as a patient care technician and then in a medical lab on clinical trials. It was there she came to appreciate the challenges and complexities of human research and was inspired to go to medical school.

Now a medical student at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Duong’s goal is to become a clinical researcher who is committed to provide the best possible care for those who need it. 

“I want to help others from underserved communities, similar to those I saw in Vietnam,” Duong said. “These are the people who need it the most.”