Es Tiempo: Engaging Latinas in Cervical Cancer Research

We live in a time of precision medicine, where more targeted diagnostics and treatments are available for individuals given their genetic make-up. Yet these options are not always utilized widely, especially among racial/ethnic minorities, such as Latinos. This is in part because of disparities that still exist in participation of Latinos in prevention and clinical trials. If we are to eliminate disparities in cancer and provide opportunities for all ethnicities to participate in precision medicine and achieve health equity, we must engage individuals impacted by the disease in research. This manuscript examines key elements for engaging Latinas in cervical cancer research and the importance of community-based participatory research to accelerate knowledge transfer from the bench side to the community. We present key concepts related to health equity and discuss the role of citizen scientists/patient advocates and promotores de salud who can help boost community participation and engagement in patient-centered research. For participatory research solutions to be effective in Latino communities, they must be based on community assets and cultural values; they must also come directly from those affected by cancer, their families, and social networks. We provide examples of how we have engaged Latinas in cervical cancer research via our Tamale Lesson and Es Tiempo campaign. We examine challenges and benefits to participation and provide lessons learned from over 20 years of community-engaged research with Latino populations in cancer prevention and control.