Background/Objectives: NCI CRCHD Region 4 BMaP (Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas) was initiated in 2009. The overall goal is achieving measureable reductions in racial cancer health disparities through developing regional networks where resources can be pooled to facilitate team science approaches to cancer health disparity reduction.

Methods: We established a regional hub infrastructure with specific cores: administration, training, bioinformatics, biospecimen/biobanking, clinical trials, community translation, emerging technologies, and ethical-legal-policy issues. Three methods, a group meeting and two survey tools were employed to identify regional resources. The NCI-developed Readiness Assessment Tool (RAT) collected data on cores; the “Face-to-Face” gathering provided for a SWOT analysis in cancer health disparities among Region 4 stakeholders. The online Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) survey identified institutional-level characteristics necessary to develop a regional implementation plan.

Results: 100% complete response for RAT and CNA surveys. Few reported significant needs although many reported significant institutional deficiencies in bioinformatics, biospecimen/biobanking, clinical trials, and emerging technologies. Primary diseases of interest include breast and colorectal cancers. In Region 4, few CRCHD funded investigators collected biospecimens in their research programs; and all members reported strong training programs. The Face-to-Face meeting strengthened existing partnerships and increased collaboration while providing attendees a regional overview of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

Implications/Next Steps: Regional networks of health disparities researchers are already leverging resources to reduce cancer health disparities among minorities in the region. The GMaP/BmaP network provided contacts to leverage CHEs in the region. The program is investigating methods to create a region-wide virtual biorepository, with descriptions of biospecimens collected in research program by Region 4 PIs. Such a virtual biorepository database would be linked with other regioanl BMaP databases that are developed. In addition, Region 4 implementation plan includes creating bioethics training tools for biomedical research on US minority populations. Training materials to be developed would address missing bioethical topics on health disparities issues with an emphasis on Native Americans and Hispanic Populations, and within the topics of biospecimen collection and clinical trial participation. This aims at creating career opportunities in bioethics for students and junior investigators at minority serving institutions.

Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2011;20(10 Suppl):A2.