What is the level of investment by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund clinical research focused on Asian American populations? In this study, researchers found that only 0.17% of clinical research projects funded by the NIH focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA/NHPI) participants. Furthermore, only 5.1% of this AA/NHPI funding was allocated to research career wards, training grants, and fellowships. AA/NHPI populations remain severely underrepresented in the biomedical workforce.
Although promoting health equity for AAI/NHPI populations is a priority for federal agencies, the impact and future direction of investments in and legislation on this issue remain unclear. The dearth of financial support for AA/NHPI health research, as well as the absence of efforts to increase diversity in the biomedical workforce, may continue to languish minority populations.