According to the National Institutes of Health, although there are about 80,000 clinical trials conducted in the US annually, only about 1% of the population participates in them. By increasing the diversity of health research participants, we help the medical field to: understand health issues facing diverse populations, develop medical solutions appropriate and effective for all people's needs, and give everyone a voice to make known what kind of health information is important to them.

The Sentinel Network is a multi-center project initiated by Washington University in St. Louis and funded by the National Institutes of Health. The project signifies a developing collaboration of 6 CTSA sites (Washington University in St. Louis, University of Michigan, University of Rochester, Albert Einstein-Montefiore Medical Center, University of Florida, and UC Davis). The purpose of the Sentinel Network is to detect emerging community issues regarding participation of underrepresented populations in health research; specifically, health concerns, neighborhood concerns, and motivations and barriers to health research participation of community members in Sacramento, CA. Phase II of the Sentinel Network expanded efforts to include health, social services, and research referrals.