Diversity and Impact of Community Advisory Boards

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The CAB members represent a diverse group of individuals. Most live in the county that they represent XX. A XX are self –report as female with the remainder self-reporting as male. A plurality of the members is from minority and under-resourced communities XX, with more minorities serving on the CRAB. The membership also has leaders from faith-based communities, LGBTQI, and patient advocates.
The CABs were successful in increasing bidirectional dialogues with researchers and community members. The CERAB assisted with securing national and state funding for projects related to uterine fibroids, vaccine preventable disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and other health-related conditions. The CRAB helped to increase the inclusion of diverse minorities …show more content…

Table 2 provides details on the topics covered during the CAB meetings. Over of third of the projects reviewed during the CAB meetings related to study implementation. The topics covered were the inclusion of minorities into biomedical research, consenting, data management and analysis. Research study design for future studies involved research teams sharing ideas about future research topics and even receiving specific aims for grants. Discussions centered on funding mechanisms and application process like the National Institutes of Health and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutes. Mayo Clinic administrative and community group consultations occurred over the course of a number of meetings. This involved gaining insight on changes to research processes and members giving input on the local county health needs assessment requirements under the Affordable Care Act. Mayo Clinic staff provided training to the CAB members over the course of several meetings. The educational approach used blended learning with didactic and discussions around topics relating to biomedical research. Clinical and translational science faculty-led the educational sessions with additional sessions from the educational arm of the IRB and biomedical …show more content…

A plurality of projects presented the CABs related to the overall community and recruitment based on geographic location not just race, ethnicity or gender. Another focus of the projects related to directly to the CAB members perceptions of the growing health concerns and scientific educational needs of members. These topics also related to the appropriate methods and process for dissemination of findings back to the general public and patient communities. Minority and immigrant health, participation, and engagement in research was another area of focus for the CABs in both locations. A growing area of interest in the research arena is the involvement of patients and caregivers in research. A growing number of projects related directly to PCORI centered research study design and recruitment. In each of these examples, the CAB agreed to serve as the community advisory board for the studies presented and asked for the presenters to return for updates.

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DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION
The CAB model accomplished the goals of increasing bi-directional dialogues, diversity, and inclusion in health-related research. Work is underway to explore ways to increase engagement of CAB members in time-limited mentoring roles for researchers to connect with communities

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