ROCKVILLE, Md., Jan. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Feb. 11, 2011, clinical trial patient recruitment and retention organization MMG will host a groundbreaking forum, Todos Juntos por la Salud or All Together for Health, which will address the state of Hispanic and Latino participation in medical research. Through this seminal initiative, MMG will partner with Hispanic and Latino healthcare community leaders to improve understanding of the research barriers faced by Hispanics and Latinos and identify strategies for overcoming them.

Although Hispanics and Latinos represent 16 percent of the U.S. population, they constitute only 3 percent of the approximately 260,000 Americans who volunteer to participate in medical research each year. With the U.S. Hispanic population expected to triple by 2050, steps need to be taken now to achieve greater Hispanic and Latino representation in medical research.

The forum will feature Hispanic and Latino community leaders and health industry stakeholders who will discuss the root causes behind the disparities in medical research participation, share ideas about what needs to occur to increase engagement, and strategize about how groups can collaborate to achieve these goals. Forum outcomes will be publicized to raise awareness, promote best practices, and build on the initiative's momentum.

"We at MMG feel an urgency to address the disparity in clinical research access and participation among the U.S. Hispanic and Latino populations," said MMG CEO John Benbrook. "MMG is committed to applying our relationships and insights from our daily work to leading efforts that will get at the heart of these issues and drive tangible change. This forum will be a springboard for future discussions and another strong step toward finding solutions.

Please visit www.juntosforhealth.com for more details and information about participating in the forum or becoming a sponsor. You can also follow Todos Juntos por la Salud on Facebook and Twitter.

About MMG

MMG, a Ketchum company and part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) family, is a global clinical trial patient recruitment and retention organization. With experience in more than 70 countries and deep insights across therapeutic areas, patient populations, and study types, MMG designs and executes strategic programs to increase and accelerate clinical trial participation for pharmaceutical industry and government-sponsored research.

SOURCE Ketchum