Indigenous Peoples And Inclusion In Clinical And Genomic Research: Understanding The History And Navigating Contemporary Engagement

The survival rates for pediatric cancer patients have improved significantly, but there are still significant disparities among underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. To address this issue, the Pacific Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Consortium (PNOC) and Children’s Brain Tumor Network (CBTN) created a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) working group in 2020. The DEI working group is committed to providing sustainable data-driven solutions to improve access to care for all pediatric patients with central nervous system tumors, as well as promoting diversity within the research community. The group is organizing educational sessions to address DEI topics in pediatric research and clinical care, with a focus on pediatric neuro-oncology. In April 2022, the group moderated a panel of experts on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and participation in clinical research activities. The goal of this paper is to provide the scientific community with a perspective on how to prioritize the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in research with cultural sensitivity and the intention of improving patient outcomes regardless of their race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background.