Behavioral and Community-based Shared Resources

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PROJECT SUMMARY: BEHAVIORAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH SHARED RESOURCE The Behavioral and Community-Based Research Shared Resource (BCSR) facilitates behavioral, psychosocial, community, translational, and population-based research for Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (Sylvester) investigators. These services are fundamental to Sylvester’s strategic efforts to address the cancer burden within South Florida, Sylvester’s four-county catchment area (Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Palm Beach counties)  one of the most multicultural and multilingual regions in the US. Olveen Carrasquillo, MD, MPH, a nationally recognized expert in cancer disparities and health equity, leads the BCSR and is supported in this endeavor by a highly qualified Assistant Director, Natasha Schaefer Solle, PhD. Together, they oversee two Co-Managers and ten staff members whose backgrounds reflect catchment area racial/ethnic and cultural diversity and who have extensive experience providing a wide array of research services in clinical and community settings critical for Sylvester investigators. The BCSR’s services aim to: 1) coordinate the recruitment and retention of diverse study participants (e.g. gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, language, and socioeconomic status) representative of Sylvester’s catchment area; 2) support the development of culturally and linguistically tailored study materials; 3) facilitate data and biospecimen collection in clinical and community settings; and 4) assist with the development and delivery of research interventions across the cancer continuum from prevention to survivorship. In 2017, the BCSR served 36 investigators, 23 of whom are Sylvester members (comprising 64% of BCSR usage), in the development and/or conduct of 48 cancer relevant studies, half of which were extramurally funded. In the same year, the BCSR aided in the recruitment of 1,885 research participants primarily from the four counties that comprise Sylvester’s catchment area. The BCSR provides guidance to investigators on culturally-appropriate approaches for study implementation and supports the translation of study materials, such as informed consent forms and research protocols, into Spanish and/or Haitian Creole to accommodate South Florida’s linguistic diversity and enhance broad-based recruitment potential. In 2017, the BCSR translated approximately 150 study documents for 28 investigators across 35 studies. In the future, the BCSR will continue to work together with Sylvester’s Clinical Research Service and developing Biospecimen Shared Resource to develop more robust approaches to engage and maintain community participation in Sylvester research studies.