Abstract
Personalized medicine cannot be achieved without the public's willingness to contribute biospecimens for cancer research and their support for the research being conducted. In many cases, the historical and cultural mistrust by racial/ethnic minorities in biomedical research stem from the adverse legacy of uninformed consent in communities of color; from Tuskegee to the Havasupai Indians, these events have amplified the disconnect between researchers and these minority communities. Engaging these communities in biospecimen contribution for cancer research requires: time, trust and talent. For sustained and respectful relationships, collecting blood biospecimens must be viewed as mutually beneficial and not as a one-sided effort. These collaborations should build community capacity to not only understand the value of biospecimens for cancer research but also advocate for their need. Researchers should commit to investing the time necessary to developing community relationships and earning community trust. Simultaneously, educational outreach efforts need to be ethnically specific, linguistically diverse, culturally appropriate and cognitively empowering. Building upon the past decade of the NCI funded Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART)’s foundation of trust and service with the Asian American community, researchers were able to leverage relationships to not only introduce the idea of biospecimen contribution to the community, but to also exceed our expectations in collecting blood biospecimens from Asian Americans.
Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):ED01-03.
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