Abstract PR03: Addressing disparities in the Native American population in Oregon: The development of multi-disciplinary frameworks to study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in Native American communities

Abstract

Abstract In Oregon, the incidence of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is 2-times higher among Native American (NA) communities compared to the rest of the population. At Oregon Health & Science University, we have formed a multi-disciplinary team that includes clinicians, translational scientists, and population scientists. Additionally, we have initiated a process of establishing a collaboration with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, one of Oregon’s largest Tribal community. By fostering the connections of NA healthcare providers within OHSU’s Knight Cancer Institute and Brenden-Colson Center for Pancreatic Care, and with the established Community Outreach, Research, and Engagement (CORE) team, we aim to build trust with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to accomplish shared goals. To date, our team has made multiple visits to foster this connection. Recently, we conducted one-on-one interviews with Warm Springs community members to better understand the communities’ barriers to health information and health care. These interviews help focus our strategies to directly address barriers community members identify as most important to them. Interviews (<30 minutes long) were conducted and recorded with CORE trained personal at the Warm Springs Health fair and are now being evaluated. As part of our protocol, community members were reimbursed for their time and information with a twenty-dollar gift card from a local coffee shop. In addition to this interview, community members identified using an easel board outside our cancer center’s health booth to provide the most effective learning styles to help shape our future efforts in education and awareness. The data that was collected is also aiding in the development of culturally appropriate approaches and programs that are guided and shaped by NA communities through co-adapting and implementing our proven, Research in Oregon Communities’ Review System (ROCRS) for Tribes to receive, review, and co-design incoming research requests. Future projects look to complement this work by bringing two research studies (e.g., a diabetes early detection program and a NA genetic registry) through a collaborative research review, to determine feasibility, acceptability, and adoption, within the Warm Springs community. Citation Format: Jared Delaney, Grace McCarthy, Jackie Shannon, Rosalie Sears, Brett Sheppard, Jonathan Brody, Claymore Kills First. Addressing disparities in the Native American population in Oregon: The development of multi-disciplinary frameworks to study pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in Native American communities [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer; 2023 Sep 27-30; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(2 Suppl):Abstract nr PR03.