Some Thoughts Following the NIH Inclusion Across the Lifespan 2 Workshop

December 10, 2020

“The [NIH Inclusion Across the Lifespan] policy, and the review and reporting requirements associated with it, should help ensure that children and older adults are not inappropriately excluded from clinical studies. The policy also has the potential to provide a more robust understanding of the full spectrum of participants recruited into clinical studies.”

Together with my NIH colleagues Drs. Marie Bernard and Janine Clayton, we made this point in a 2018 JAMA opinion piece following the inaugural NIH Inclusion Across the Lifespan workshop. Fast forward, we revisited this issue at the NIH’s Inclusion Across the Lifespan 2 workshop held this past September. You can watch the videocast here. The report covering the event was posted today, and I wanted to share some of my takeaways.

What Are the Reporting Requirements for the Inclusion Across the Lifespan Policy?

August 26, 2020

The Inclusion Across the Lifespan policy requires submission of de-identified individual-level participant data, including participant age at enrollment, in progress reports. Wondering how to provide individual-level inclusion data? Use the template file provided on the Inclusion Enrollment Report in the Human Subjects System.

Where Should I Address the Inclusion Across the Lifespan Policy in My Application?

March 25, 2019

Applicants should include a rationale for the age range of study participants and justification for age-based exclusion in the Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children section of the PHS Human Subjects and Clinical Trials Information Form (Section 2.4). This section will continue to have the heading “Inclusion of Women, Minorities, and Children” until the next forms update. See the instructions under Inclusion of Children in the application guide for additional information.