Project Summary
Background: City of Hope (COH) will promote PCORI’s efforts in medically vulnerable regions where cancer and other chronic illnesses are prevalent and a large minority underrepresentation in research exists.
Solution: COH will foster bidirectional relationships and dialogue among scientists, clinicians, advocates, and a multiethnic PAIR team to bridge the gaps in research, develop a community-responsive PCOR agenda, and conduct studies and patient navigation to improve community health outcomes and reduce the burden of cancer in vulnerable communities.
Objectives: Increase capacity and power of the COH Multiethnic Community Research Ambassadors (N=20) and Research Navigators (N=100) with representation of African-American/black, Latino, and Asian (Korean, Filipino) populations for bidirectional engagement with COH leadership and policy makers to increase community-responsive PCOR using elements from the PCORI Engagement Rubric. In year two, the project team will conduct broad public and community forum dissemination of the findings including a Multiethnic Community Engagement Toolkit.
Activities: Adapt, deliver, and evaluate research engagement trainings that are responsive to a multiethnic community, targeted to ambassadors and navigators to increase their capacities in bidirectional research engagement and broad constituent education for improved research receptivity and participation.
Outcomes:
- Sustain multiethnic ambassadors (N=20) who are empowered, trained, and informed to engage and guide strategic planning and research initiatives (e.g., PCOR aimed at reducing the burden of cancer and improving health outcomes of communities and individuals affected by cancer), and address health disparities.
- Complete research navigators’ training (N=100; 25 African American, 35 Latino, 20 Filipino, 20 Korean) to increase community research education, awareness, receptivity, and participation.
- Create a Multiethnic Research Engagement Best Practices Toolkit for engaging ethnically diverse and medically vulnerable community members. The guide aims to inform institutional strategic planning prioritizing, funding, implementing, and monitoring of community-responsive research to improve patient and family-centered outcomes, especially among underserved populations.
Patient/Stakeholder Engagement: The PAIR program has multiethnic and multisectoral representation of PCOR partners, survivors, and stakeholders with broad social networks who will meet quarterly.
Collaborators: Kimlin Tam Ashing, PhD, has 25 years of experience partnering with multiethnic communities for advocacy and survivorship research. Nancy Clifton-Hawkins, MPH, leads the Community Benefits at COH. She is a breast cancer survivor and is engaging a multisectoral team to better attend to long-term cancer survivorship services and resources. She has built a network of trust and collaboration that transcends cultural, linguistic, and economic groups. Rick Kittles, PhD, is a nationally known disparities researcher and geneticist. Stanley Hooker, PhD, is a molecular epidemiologist and biostatistician. He will lead on the project’s data analyses. The project will include the American Cancer Society and a federally qualified health clinic. Alejandra Martinez leads Promoters for Better Health. Linda Kim, DrPH, MSN, is a nurse and President of the Korean Nurses Association. Kathye Jenkins, MPH, is President of Witness to Fitness and a leader in small black churches serving vulnerable communities. Regalado Valerio, DNP, is a nurse educator, leader, and President of the Philippine Nurses Association of Southern California (PNASC). Regina Greer-Smith, MPH, is a cancer survivor and founder of the STAR Initiative.