Critical Steps for Engaging Hispanics in Cancer Research: Building Capacity to Enhance Participation in Biospecimen Donation with Hispanic Communities

There is a widespread recognition that health disparities impact Hispanics collectively; however, much less is known about the disease risk and outcomes with respect to the heterogeneity of Hispanic subgroups. Community-engaged approaches and strategies to research are essential for reaching these at-risk populations and building trust among community and research partners who serve and care for Hispanics. These methods are not only useful for engaging diverse populations but also useful in elucidating and differentiating nuances within and among Hispanic subgroup characteristics and their perspectives regarding participation in biomedical research. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of participatory research methods in studying, developing, and implementing culturally sensitive cancer prevention interventions and strategies among diverse racial/ethnic minority populations. Much of the previous work in this area has addressed program adaptation or cultural tailoring of existing cancer educational programs and materials. However, the adoption of community engaged research approaches in translational or transdisciplinary research are less understood and may have the potential to improve inclusion and representation of Hispanics in biomedical research studies and to shed light on how to create conditions for health and health equity. This chapter describes novel applications of community-based approaches to biobanking and biospecimen research areas to highlight (1) three critical steps for engaging Hispanic communities in cancer research, (2) best practices and scientifically based strategies and considerations for enhancing community engagement in research, and (3) lessons learned.