Sidebar: Information for researchers who want to work with the African American community to promote health


HIGH PAYOFF: Rev. Frank Tucker advises researchers who want to work with churches to "invest in the infrastructure of the church."

CENTRAL LOCATION: Medical researcher Keith Norris notes that outreach to churches enables scientists to "reach a fairly broad audience."
Today, many clinical researchers are in a bind. On one hand, the National Institutes of Health and other granting agencies require them to include minorities in clinical trials that study disease therapies or prevention. On the other hand, recruiting African Americans and other minorities typically means doing expensive, time-consuming community outreach. To meet the challenge, some researchers are enlisting a valuable source of help: the church.

For more than 20 years, health organizations and clergy have worked together to educate churchgoers about basic nutrition and disease prevention. In much the same way,...

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