The Association of Clinical Research Professionals

Honoring Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

ACRP honors Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of the AAPI community in clinical research.

Thank you for all you do to promote excellence in clinical research.

“It is well known that we need to increase the diversity of clinical trials – including for AAPI populations – so that safety and efficacy profiles of new products adequately reflect Asian American patient responses.”

— Eunjoo Pacifici, PharmD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Regulatory and Quality Sciences; Associate Professor of Regulatory and Quality Sciences, USC School of Pharmacy

“Underserved individuals – including those within AAPI populations – may have particular problems accessing dental care, with limited dental clinics accepting those who are uninsured or who have state health coverage such as Medicaid.”

— Jin Xiao, DDS, PhD, Associate Professor, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, University of Rochester Medical Center

“Without increasing the representation of all racial and ethnic groups in all aspects of clinical research, and engaging diverse communities in the studies we conduct, we are not taking full advantage of the breadth and depth of our scientific potential.”

— Jamie Mihoko Doyle, PhD, Program Director, Division of Clinical Innovation; Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program Branch, Education and Training Section; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health

“In my experience of multi-center trials, many collaborators have Chinese heritage. This is an exciting development, and I’m eager to play my part as a mentor to the next generation of clinical research professionals and bench scientists – helping increase both diversity and innovation.”

— Jing Wang, MD, PhD, Valentino D.B. Mazzia MD, JD Associate Professor; Director, Interdisciplinary Pain Research Program; Vice Chair for Clinical and Translational Research, NYU School of Medicine

Hear Vineeta Gulati, Director, Clinical Operations, Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases (GSID), share why AAPI Heritage Month is important in the context of clinical research.

Hear Meghana Rao, CCRA, Clinical Trial Manager, Pliant Therapeutics, discuss why Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month is significant to her.

“Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a great chance to focus on how best to increase cultural and linguistic accessibility in clinical research. AAPI Heritage Month adds further momentum to ACRP’s ongoing efforts to improve clinical trial diversity.”

— Yonjong Choi, MS, CCRP, ACRP-PM, Start-up Research Coordinator, University of Rochester Medical Center; ACRP Diversity Advisory Council Member; ACRP Member Since 2020; past Program Committee Chair, ACRP Northern California Chapter

Meet the ACRP Northern California Chapter

The Northern California Chapter (NCC) was founded in 1999 as an affiliate of ACRP. Their mission is to serve Northern California clinical research professionals by providing professional development and networking opportunities in support of human subject protections in clinical research.

Several ACRP members highlighted in this campaign—Yonjong Choi, Vineeta Gulati, and Meghana Rao—serve as NCC Chapter leaders. We’re grateful for their participation.

Learn More >

The ACRP Diversity Advisory Council

The Diversity Advisory Council (DAC) is a group of industry leaders who serve as a volunteer resource supporting ACRP’s efforts to increase diversity in the clinical research workforce.

DAC members firmly believe that a diverse workforce is part of the solution to the lack of patient diversity in clinical trials. The DAC’s scope is to recommend and help implement strategies to recruit, retain, and advance outstanding, high-quality clinical research professionals and students from historically underrepresented groups.