Take Survey

Learn More

Create culturally relevant, trust-building invitations to learn about a health topic or study.

Community-First Credibility

Founded and staffed by professionals with proven success engaging African American and Latino communities in research and health initiatives.

Learn More About Curated Clinical

Curated Clinical is a community-led infrastructure for equitable clinical research

What Is Curated Clinical?

Curated Clinical is a community-led infrastructure for equitable clinical research.

We exist because mistrust, misinformation, and lack of access continue to prevent Black, Latino, and underserved communities from being fully represented in clinical trials. These gaps don’t just affect participation — they affect whether treatments work for everyone.

Curated Clinical bridges the gap between science and community by combining:

  • Plain-language education
  • Ongoing community listening
  • Crowdsourcing and open calls for ideas
  • An opt-in participant registry
  • Ambassador partnerships with faith-based and community organizations


Our purpose is simple:
Community + Data = Actionable Insights for Greater Healthcare Equity.

We don’t just share information. We build systems that ensure community voices directly shape how research is done.

Many clinical trials fail to recruit diverse participants. Historically, fewer than one in five U.S. trial participants are African American or Latino — even though these communities represent more than one-third of the population.

When communities are excluded:

  • Treatments may not work as well for us
  • Side effects may not be fully understood
  • Trust continues to erode


Curated Clinical was built to change that — not by convincing people to participate, but by ensuring research reflects community priorities from the start.

Many clinical trials fail to recruit diverse participants. Historically, fewer than one in five U.S. trial participants are African American or Latino — even though these communities represent more than one-third of the population.

When communities are excluded:

  • Treatments may not work as well for us
  • Side effects may not be fully understood
  • Trust continues to erode


Curated Clinical was built to change that — not by convincing people to participate, but by ensuring research reflects community priorities from the start.

Curated Clinical is a community-led infrastructure for equitable clinical research.

We exist because mistrust, misinformation, and lack of access continue to prevent Black, Latino, and underserved communities from being fully represented in clinical trials. These gaps don’t just affect participation — they affect whether treatments work for everyone.

Curated Clinical bridges the gap between science and community by combining:

  • Plain-language education
  • Ongoing community listening
  • Crowdsourcing and open calls for ideas
  • An opt-in participant registry
  • Ambassador partnerships with faith-based and community organizations


Our purpose is simple:
Community + Data = Actionable Insights for Greater Healthcare Equity.

We don’t just share information. We build systems that ensure community voices directly shape how research is done.

Many clinical trials fail to recruit diverse participants. Historically, fewer than one in five U.S. trial participants are African American or Latino — even though these communities represent more than one-third of the population.

When communities are excluded:

  • Treatments may not work as well for us
  • Side effects may not be fully understood
  • Trust continues to erode


Curated Clinical was built to change that — not by convincing people to participate, but by ensuring research reflects community priorities from the start.

We are not:

  • A recruitment agency
  • A marketing firm
  • A passive information site


We are a community-led system grounded in:

  • Transparency
  • Consent
  • Reciprocity
  • Shared power
  • Sustainable, trackable engagement


We believe research should be built diverse from the beginning .

1. Community First — Not Trial First

Traditional Model:
Research institutions design a study → Then look for participants.

Our Model:
Community voices shape messaging, design considerations, and engagement strategies before recruitment even begins.

We use surveys, listening sessions, and crowdsourcing to ensure community priorities are embedded early.

2. Crowdsourcing, Not Top-Down Messaging

Instead of telling communities what to think about clinical trials, we ask:

  • What concerns do you have?
  • What language feels respectful?
  • What would make you feel safe?
  • What would make participation easier?


Community members submit ideas through structured open calls and contests. Winning ideas are piloted and implemented. This approach has been used successfully in the U.S., China, South Africa, and Nigeria to increase trust and participation in public health programs.

Your voice is not symbolic. It becomes part of the system.

3. Transparent Data Practices

Our participant registry operates under:

  • IRB oversight
  • HIPAA-compliant infrastructure
  • Clear consent language
  • The right to access, correct, or delete your data
  • No sharing of your information without your explicit permission


You are never automatically referred to a study.
You authorize every connection.

4. Plain Language — No Pressure

We:

  • Break down complex medical terms
  • Explain risks honestly
  • Acknowledge valid concerns
  • Distinguish myths from real historical harms
  • Encourage questions


We do not use fear.
We do not use guilt.
We do not use urgency tactics.

5. Fair Compensation & Shared Benefit

Community ambassadors and contest participants are compensated.
Winning ideas receive funding.
Community organizations receive training and tools.

This is not extraction.
It is partnership.

6. Trust-Building Is Measured

We track:

  • Changes in trust over time
  • Feedback on messaging clarity
  • Whether community ideas are implemented
  • Representation in participation


Trust is not assumed. It is evaluated.

How You Can Get Involved

There are three powerful ways you can shape the future of clinical trials:

When you join our listserv or registry, you may receive short surveys asking about:

  • Health concerns in your community
  • Barriers to joining research (transportation, childcare, mistrust, time off work)
  • What language feels respectful and empowering
  • What incentives feel fair
  • What would make you feel comfortable saying “yes”

This feedback is not just collected — it is analyzed and shared (without personal identifiers) with research teams to improve:

  • Consent language
  • Recruitment messaging
  • Study design
  • Retention supports
  • Community engagement strategies


Your voice becomes data that improves how trials are conducted locally.

Crowdsourcing is a structured open call that invites the people most affected by an issue to co-create solutions .

Instead of researchers guessing what works, we ask the community directly:

  • What would make clinical trials feel safer?
  • What messaging would you trust?
  • What would help your family say yes?
  • What support would make participation easier?


We provide clear rules, fair incentives, and accessible submission options (video, flyer, script, story, social media post). Submissions are reviewed by diverse judging panels that include community members, faith leaders, clinicians, and advocates .

Crowdsourcing has been shown globally to:

  • Increase engagement
  • Improve message relevance
  • Build trust
  • Generate culturally grounded solutions
  • Strengthen ethical participation


Dr. Mathews and her collaborators have led crowdsourcing efforts across the United States, China, South Africa, and Nigeria, demonstrating that community-generated ideas often outperform traditional top-down messaging in clarity, resonance, and trust-building.

Our own framework for community-powered trial engagement formalizes this approach .

Through our Ambassador Network, we train faith-based and community organizations in:

  • Clinical trials 101
  • Ethical engagement and consent
  • Trust-building practices
  • Messaging that moves and mobilizes
  • Digital outreach strategies
  • Recruitment and retention workflows
  • Sustainable program funding and tracking

Ambassadors are compensated partners, not unpaid messengers. They help co-design outreach and serve as trusted bridges between research teams and community members.

You can:

  • Join the listserv
  • Take a survey
  • Submit an idea to a contest
  • Attend an event
  • Become an ambassador
  • Share your story


Every voice strengthens the system.
Every idea improves equity.
Every contribution shapes how clinical trials are done in your community.

This is how trust is rebuilt — together.

Your Contributions Directly Shape Clinical Trials

Here’s what happens when you participate:

1. Ideas Become Pilots

Winning contest submissions are funded as micro-pilots and tested in real communities .

2. Messaging Is Rewritten

Community-written scripts replace jargon-heavy recruitment language .

3. Barriers Are Addressed

Crowdsourced suggestions about childcare, transportation, or scheduling are integrated into recruitment plans .

4. Geo-Data Meets Lived Experience

We combine neighborhood data with community insight to create tailored, ethical outreach strategies .

5. Registry Data Informs Design

Our privacy-protected participant registry converts interest into informed action while ensuring ongoing feedback loops .

This is not symbolic engagement. It’s structural change.

“PrEP Her Way” HIV Prevention Hackathon

We will be hosting a community-centered hackathon focused on increasing PrEP awareness among Black women on the campus of Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in the fall of 2026.

What makes this event different:

  • Live education blended with music and dialogue
  • Teams of Black women designing culturally resonant HIV prevention campaigns
  • Submissions will include comprehensive plans for an intervention on their campus to raise awareness about HIV prevention among Black women, including input from Vibe Coding experts who can support teams in developing no-code apps
  • Winners will receive seed grants to pilot their ideas
  • Judges will include women with lived experience


These ideas didn’t sit on a shelf. They were funded and tested.

Crowdsourcing for Clinical Trial Engagement

We have developed structured open-call models that help:

  • Test consent language
  • Improve recruitment scripts
  • Generate caregiver support ideas
  • Develop retention nudges
  • Identify trusted community venues

Instead of assuming what communities want, we ask.

Dr. Allison Mathews has spent 18 years conducting peer-reviewed research focused on:

  • HIV prevention and cure research
  • Community engagement in clinical trials
  • Trust-building in marginalized communities
  • Crowdsourcing as a mechanism for public health innovation

Research on the effectiveness of crowdsourcing has been conducted across the United States, China, South Africa, Nigeria and beyond, demonstrating that crowdsourcing:

  • Enhances message clarity
  • Increases community trust
  • Produces locally relevant solutions
  • Accelerates adoption of public health interventions


Curated Clinical translates that research into infrastructure, not just publications.

Through our Ambassador Network, we train faith-based and community organizations in:

  • Clinical trials 101
  • Ethical engagement and consent
  • Trust-building practices
  • Messaging that moves and mobilizes
  • Digital outreach strategies
  • Recruitment and retention workflows
  • Sustainable program funding and tracking

Ambassadors are compensated partners, not unpaid messengers. They help co-design outreach and serve as trusted bridges between research teams and community members.

The Evolution Of Clinical Trials

Clinical research today operates under far stricter ethical standards than in the past:

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932–1972)

For 40 years, Black men with syphilis were deliberately denied treatment so researchers could observe the progression of the disease — even after penicillin became available. Participants were misled and not given full information.

Henrietta Lacks (1951)

Cancer cells were taken from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman, without her knowledge or consent. Her cells were used to advance major scientific breakthroughs, but her family was not informed for decades.

Forced Sterilizations

Black, Indigenous, Latina, and disabled women were sterilized without consent in multiple states throughout the 20th century.

Immigration & Language Barriers

Immigrant communities have often been excluded from research protections due to language access gaps and fear related to documentation status.

Structural Racism in Healthcare

Even outside research, many communities experience:

  • Under-treatment of pain
  • Dismissed symptoms
  • Bias in diagnosis
  • Limited access to specialty care


Mistrust is not irrational. It is learned through experience.

If you feel cautious about clinical trials, you are not alone.  And you are not wrong to ask questions.

For many Black, Latino, Indigenous, immigrant, and low-income communities, mistrust of research institutions is rooted in real history — not rumor.

Clinical research today operates under far stricter ethical standards than in the past:

  • Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) review and approve every study
  • Participants must give informed consent
  • You can leave a study at any time
  • Studies must disclose risks and benefits
  • Data privacy protections are enforced
  • Adverse events must be reported


But rules alone do not rebuild trust.  Trust is built through behavior, transparency, and shared power.  That’s where Curated Clinical is different.