The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) has published Preparing the Future Workforce in Drug Research and Development: Proceedings of a Workshop, the result of a workshop that was co-chaired by Dr. Jonathan Watanabe, Founding Associate Dean of Pharmacy Assessment and Quality in the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. The workshop was hosted by the Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation and Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine.
“Despite advances over the past several decades, the clinical research enterprise has struggled to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse US population,” an introduction to the publication outlines. “To help address this issue, a 2023 National Academies workshop sought to identify the expertise and disciplines needed to achieve the aspirations for a transformed clinical trials enterprise by 2030 and enable a workforce that can better support the evolving needs of drug R&D — one that is resilient, culturally aware, anti-racist, and interdisciplinary.”
The workshop was held on October 16-17, 2023 in Washington, DC and “offered a neutral, independent venue in which stakeholders from government, academia, industry, foundations, patient groups, and other organizations could meet to discuss and confront issues of mutual interest and concern,” as described in a UCI News report.
“Addressing diversity in the clinical trials workforce is essential for achieving health equity,” Dr. Watanabe stated.
The peer-reviewed publication is available to read here.
