Science is WEIRD: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. Of the global population, only 12% of individuals are actually “WEIRD”; however, 95% of psychological and behavioral research participants are from this group. This means results about and interpretations of human psychology are ultimately limited and biased.
Despite our knowledge of this problem, research continues to lack diversity among scientists and participants. Conducting science and testing clinical treatments across diverse groups is crucial for many reasons, including biological differences.
For example, naltrexone, a medication used to reduce cravings and relapse in alcohol and opioid use disorders, is mostly effective for those with a specific genetic variant that is rare among individuals of African descent, and more common in those with European ancestry. This suggests that African American patients benefit less from naltrexone.
As a clinical psychology researcher in training, my goal is to recruit a wide range of individuals into our studies to make our findings more applicable to all. I aim to change this through focused outreach and strategic recruitment of diverse, non-WEIRD individuals, starting with my mentor’s harm reduction clinical trial for cannabis use. The focus of this study is to help individuals reduce high-potency THC use by using a non-addictive form of cannabis: cannabidiol (CBD).
To pursue this work, I applied for the National Institutes of Health’s Diversity Supplement award. I spent many hours over several months on this application, and to my surprise, this hard work paid off, and I was awarded three years of NIH funding to support my training.
This award is highly competitive and designed to strengthen NIH-supported research by training early career investigators from underrepresented backgrounds, which includes groups that are low-income, first-generation college students, and specific ethnic/racial minority groups.
Excitement and empowerment fueled my action towards the development of educational materials in both English and Spanish, in addition to connecting with on-campus and local organizations to spread the word about our study and goals to diversify recruitment and reach underserved populations.
Unfortunately, in January 2025, just six months into my training in clinical treatment, neuropharmacology, community-based research, and career-changing skill development, it became clear that my NIH funding was at risk. I was sure changes in my funding couldn’t happen overnight – I was wrong.
In late January, when I looked up my award online, it had been completely removed from the NIH website, as if it had never existed in the first place. A couple of months later, we were notified that the award I had earned, along with all of the aspirations and goals associated with it, was terminated.
Somehow, this feeling wasn’t new to me. It echoed both my personal experience and a broader, collective memory – one shared by many who have been systematically denied a voice. Yes, I’m losing a critical career-building opportunity. But I’m not the only one who loses; the ultimate cost is borne by the community.
I am a clinical psychology doctoral student, a Mexican American woman, and a first-generation college graduate who grew up in a rural community with limited resources. There are few non-WEIRD researchers and academics like me, and even fewer non-WEIRD participants being recruited into studies. Currently, only 6% of professors at universities across the nation are Latino and only a mere 1% of participants in NIH-funded clinical trials are Latino; yet, in Colorado, Latinos make up 21% of the total state population.
When researchers from marginalized backgrounds are pushed out, it’s not just our careers that suffer – it’s the science. Our community will miss a chance to be heard, to be seen, and to be understood with care and nuance. And the research will remain centered on WEIRD populations which leaves entire segments of the world out of the data and out of the conversation.
Samantha N. Melendez is a clinical psychology doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder. She works as a graduate student research assistant in the CUChange Center, which focuses on the study of health, neuroscience, genes, and environment.
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