Abstract IA31: Not showing up empty-handed: A multicommunity collaboration for cancer prevention and control

Abstract

While cancer mortality is on the decline in the U.S., Pacific Islanders continue to experience high rates of cancer incidence, prevalence, and mortality due to the lack of appropriate, understandable, and accessible prevention, early detection, and treatment/survivorship information and services. California is home to the second-largest populations of Pacific Islanders, including Chamorros, Marshallese, Native Hawaiians, Samoans, and Tongans. In 2005 community and university researchers formed a multicommunity collaboration for cancer prevention and control called WINCART: Weaving an Islander Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training. Using a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach, this collaboration developed decision-making processes, protocols, and MOUs that prioritized community benefits in the design and implementation of studies spanning the cancer control continuum including tobacco cessation, nutrition and physical activity promotion, colorectal screening, breast screening, Pap testing, cancer survivorship, and biospecimen collection. Specifically, this presentation will cover the elements that contributed to WINCART9s successful CBPR collaborations, provide examples from selected studies, and share lessons learned for researchers interested in initiating or sustaining community-university partnerships in the future. Citation Format: Sora Park Tanjasiri, Paula Healani Palmer. Not showing up empty-handed: A multicommunity collaboration for cancer prevention and control [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr IA31.