Recruiting to Medical Research Programmes and Trials – How Can We Be Smarter and More Equitable?

Thank you to the speakers and panel members at our latest webinar, which focused on how behavioural research and strategic communications can help improve diversity in clinical trials. The session featured insightful presentations and a dynamic panel discussion, highlighting key lessons from large-scale studies, effective recruitment strategies, and methods to build trust with under-represented communities.

The session, hosted by Ana Granger, Director at Claremont began with Dr Aziza Sesay, a GP and health advocate also known for her platform “Talks with Dr. Sesay”. She emphasised the crucial role of trust in engaging under-represented communities in medical research. Drawing from her experience, she highlighted how historical exclusion and systemic barriers have contributed to scepticism. She emphasised that trust-building requires long-term commitment, open communication, and culturally relevant engagement. Dr Sesay also stressed the importance of ensuring that medical research is accessible and inclusive, with a strong focus on education and advocacy to empower communities to participate confidently.

Laura King, Director of External Affairs at GRAIL, and Ian Fannon, Managing Director of Claremont, then shared insights from their work on the NHS-Galleri trial. The trial recruited a diverse cohort of over 140,000 participants in less than 11 months, and Laura highlighted the higher number of invitations needed to enrol individuals from specific groups, particularly younger, male, more deprived, and Black or Asian participants. The presenters shared key lessons for improving recruitment and retention. They emphasised the importance of understanding motivations and barriers of different groups to develop tailored communications, using data effectively to track and refine recruitment efforts, engaging communities early with clear and simple messaging, and maintaining a flexible approach that welcomes diverse perspectives, challenges existing norms, and adapts quickly to needs.

Next, Kirstin Purves, Head of Insights & Experimentation, and Anika Ladva, Head of Community Engagement, focused on Our Future Health, the world’s largest health research programme of its kind. The presenters shared how they are currently using a “test and learn” approach to understand how to reach under-represented communities effectively. A major challenge they tackled was overcoming mistrust and accessibility barriers. The team emphasised the need for genuine partnerships with local organisations and community leaders to foster credibility. They also explored the impact of offering financial reimbursement to reduce participation barriers. Finally, Kirstin and Anika shared how the programme is currently testing whether a flexible walk-in system compared to a pre-booked appointment model could help overcome other logistical barriers. Although still in its early stages, this approach has already shown promise in enhancing accessibility and inclusion.

The final presentation featured Byron Tibbitts, Head of Programmes at Akrivia Health, and Tim Parry, one of the Directors at Claremont, and focused on their collaborative efforts to recruit a large cohort of individuals with severe mental health conditions for the GlobalMinds study. The presenters outlined the research process used to inform their recruitment strategy, which combined both secondary and primary research to better understand the barriers and motivators affecting participation. Key challenges identified included concerns about the financial and logistical impacts of participation, and—similar to previous presentations—issues of trust both in the organisations behind the study and their purpose, and trust in responsible and secure data use. To tackle these challenges, the team has been developing a range of recruitment strategies, including clear and accessible communications co-created with participants, participation incentives, a “we come to you” approach to sample donation, and plans to proactively engage with cultural and community leaders in key regions to improve inclusion.

The session concluded with a panel discussion covering key themes, particularly trust-building in communities. Professor Frank Chinegwundoh, a urologist, widely published researcher, lecturer, professor, and chair at Cancer Black Care, reinforced that “[…] Building trust takes time, effort, and money”. He highlighted the role of community organisations, including churches and religious groups, in fostering relationships and encouraging participation. The discussion also explored how behavioural science can inform recruitment strategies, with Emma Lidington, a behavioural scientist from Cancer Prevention Trials Unit, QMUL, explaining how behavioural science models, such as the COM-B model, can help to systematically think about challenges, drivers and how to target these in specific groups.

A huge thank you again to our speakers and panellists for sharing their expertise, as well as to our attendees for their engaging questions. If you missed the live session or would like to revisit the insights shared, the full webinar recording is now available on YouTube.