Cancer 101: A formative evaluation of a community education curriculum on biospecimen research adapted for six population groups

The session will describe the Cancer Disparities Research Network's (CDRN) efforts to evaluate, translate, and adapt an evidenced-based cancer and biospecimen education curriculum for six target population groups; African American, Hispanic, Appalachian, Chinese, South Asian, and Native American. The CDRN, the name selected for Region Five of the National Cancer Institute's national Geographic Management Program (GMaP), comprises 25 institutions in 15 states. The CDRN brings together community-engaged researchers and bioinformatics scientists to address challenges in cancer health disparities and diverse engagement in biospecimen research. A key challenge identified through a regional Comprehensive Needs Assessment was the low participation of minority and medically-underserved populations in clinical trials and biospecimen research . To address this concern, the CDRN designed and implemented a pilot project to adapt an existing biospecimen research education module (part of the Cancer 101 curriculum) for diverse audiences. Eleven institutions (two per population group except for Native Americans) completed pre and post-adaption focus groups (N~440) using a standardized group facilitation guide and demographic data collection material. The session will describe the adaptation process, materials used, key findings and lessons learned. The next step is to implement the culturally-adapted curriculum in each of the six target populations and evaluate its impact on knowledge and attitudes about clinical trials and biospecimen research and intent to participate in research.