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Important Considerations for Recruiting Women to Cancer Genetics Studies in Puerto Rico

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Abstract

A goal of the Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership between the Ponce School of Medicine in Puerto Rico and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Florida is to provide cross-cultural training in cancer research. This is achieved through a collaborative summer exchange program, which provides US students with an opportunity to conduct research in Puerto Rico. As part of this program, students recruited participants and collected data for a study to enhance the understanding of sociocultural factors among Puerto Rican women regarding genetic testing for hereditary breast/ovarian cancer. Limited studies have examined cancer genetics issues among Latinos, particularly those specific to the various Latino subgroups, such as Puerto Ricans. As a result of the student training experience, culturally appropriate strategies for the recruitment of women in Puerto Rico have been identified. These recommendations can inform the design of cancer research projects and interventions targeting the Puerto Rican population.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this project was provided by Grant 1 R03 HG003887 from the National Human Genome Research Institute and by NIH U56 10-14352-03-07. The work contained within this publication was supported in part by the Survey Methods Core Facility at Moffitt Cancer Center. We would also like to thank Ms. Carmen Pacheco and Mr. Juan Carlos Vega for their assistance with recruitment in Puerto Rico.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Outcomes & Behavior Program, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Euna M. August, Gwen P. Quinn, Rossybelle Perales & Susan T. Vadaparampil

  2. College of Public Health, Department of Community & Family Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Euna M. August

  3. University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, FL, USA

    Zuheily Closser

  4. Department of Biochemistry, Ponce School of Medicine, Ponce, PR, USA

    Julie Dutil

  5. University of Puerto Rico, Bayamon, PR, USA

    Marieva Puig

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  1. Euna M. August
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  7. Susan T. Vadaparampil
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Correspondence to Susan T. Vadaparampil.

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August, E.M., Quinn, G.P., Perales, R. et al. Important Considerations for Recruiting Women to Cancer Genetics Studies in Puerto Rico. J Canc Educ 27, 105–111 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-011-0265-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-011-0265-4

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