Best Practices to Engage Black Men in the Development of a Cancer Health Equity Research Agenda

Background

Black men have the highest mortality for all cancers combined, yet they are underrepresented in research studies. Prior research has begun to reveal the role of social determinants in these disparities. It is likely that these factors have also impeded the participation of black men in research and interventions intended to address these disparities.

Proposed Solution to the Problem

To address this problem, the project team will implement a two-step solution. First, it will convene an advisory group to review evidence-based strategies and best practices to engage black men in research partnerships. This group will be primarily comprised of black men and other experts in black men’s health. Advisory group activities will include a symposium hosted by Wayne State University/Karmanos Cancer Institute. Second, the team will establish a Black Men’s Cancer Action Council through the infrastructure of Michigan Cancer HealthLink, through which research priorities will be identified and specific research questions created and disseminated.

Aims

• To identify evidence-based strategies and best practices in engaging black men in community capacity-building efforts specific to cancer-related PCOR
• To increase capacity among black male community stakeholders to engage as partners of cancer-related PCOR in Detroit
• To identify cancer-specific PCOR priorities based on community stakeholder input
• To disseminate PCOR priorities and build research partnerships between black male community stakeholders and academic cancer researchers

Objectives

• To create a working group of researchers, clinicians, and community stakeholders to review and recommend engagement strategies specific to black men
• To establish a Black Men’s Cancer Action Council (BM-CAC) with community stakeholders as members
• To train at least 14 black male stakeholders and prepare them to contribute to all phases of cancer-related PCOR
• To identify research priorities driven primarily by black men that address cancer disparities and disseminate a formal report of these priorities
• To conduct three Black Men Cancer Research Leadership Forums in order to disseminate the BM-CAC’s research priorities to stakeholders in the broader community and local academic researchers.

Outcomes

• Development and dissemination of best practices around engagement of black men and a white paper that will be submitted for publication
• Creation of a sustainable team of black male stakeholders who are prepared to advocate for research investigations that address the most pressing needs of black men in the cancer care context
• Creation of a cancer-related PCOR agenda that is driven by black men, to be detailed in a report for broad dissemination
• Coordination of Black Men’s Cancer Research Leadership Forums to disseminate BM-CAC activities and research priorities to stakeholders in the broader community and local academic researchers

The Black Men Cancer Action Council will have at least 14 members who will be identified and recruited through the project team’s current and previous partner organizations. They are black cancer survivors, caregivers, and representatives from local black churches and community advocacy organizations. Collaborators include Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church (TMBC), 100 Black Men of Greater Detroit, Molina Healthcare of Michigan, and MetroNet Practice-Based Research Network.