Table 1.

Opportunities to address workforce disparities within the National Clinical Trials Network

Type of intervention	Anticipated outcome
Membership
Collect and publish annual demographic data on NCTN group committee membership.	Ensure accountability to address current gaps in gender and racial workforce representation within the NCTN.
Publish standardized criteria for NCTN group and committee membership eligibility.	Enhance diversity across NCTN group membership and committees to better represent the spectrum of perspectives and priorities within the broader oncology community.
Streamline membership application processes.	Encourage and facilitate membership application and selection from a more diverse population of investigators through a standardized, transparent process.
Promote diverse representation among NCTN task forces and steering committees.	Design clinical trials that are considerate and inclusive of racial, ethnic, gender, and other underrepresented minority populations.
Leadership
Collect annual demographic data on NCTN principal investigators, committee chairs, task force members, steering committee members, and group leaders.	Ensure accountability to address existing disparities in leadership across the NCTN groups and NCI leadership.
Standardize NCTN committee and task force leadership term limits.	Create leadership opportunities for faculty to promote and maintain an engaged clinical trial workforce and program.
	Establish a more diverse cadre of experienced, senior leaders to serve as mentors and role models for new and underrepresented investigators.
Create a designated leadership position (ie, vice chair or equivalent) responsible for DEI within each NCTN group.	Communicate clear prioritization of DEI within the NCTN groups, and establish specific, intentional programmatic efforts to enhance DEI.
Education
Create a framework to promote respectful communication.	Offer structured recommendations to NCTN leadership and members to ensure that communication is respectful and professional, that all individuals are addressed equitably by professional titles, and that every member feels encouraged and empowered to participate in discussions and decisions.
Implement implicit bias training for NCTN leadership.	Ensure that NCTN leadership, including committee chairs and task force members, are aware of their own potential implicit bias to minimize the influence of bias during committee discussions and decisions.
Develop specific training opportunities or funding awards for women and underrepresented junior investigators interested in clinical trial design and leadership.	Build a more diverse workforce by specifically providing clinical trial education and training to underrepresented individuals and those from less resource-rich institutions.
Establish a formal mentorship program for junior faculty.	Encourage and support early-career investigators from diverse backgrounds and institutions to engage in the NCTN.
Establish orientation materials for new members.	Educate new members on the NCTN group processes, which will foster transparency and equity.
Publications
Review and revise publication policies for primary and secondary manuscripts.	Ensure that authorship is equitable and accurately represents the effort of participating investigators.
Standardize authorship contribution criteria across NCTN groups.
Rotate authorship and presentations for secondary manuscripts to provide opportunities for junior investigators.	Increase engagement of new and junior investigators by ensuring fair and equitable credit for time and effort.

DEI = diversity, equity, and inclusion; NCI = National Cancer Institute; NCTN = National Clinical Trials Network.