Abstract B042: Increasing rigor of inclusive health research with Cultural Advisory Boards (CuAB): Asian Indian recommendations for research practice

Abstract Introductory sentence indicating purpose of the study: Asian Indians are a diverse and growing immigrant population in the United States facing a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases, low cancer screening rates, and remain underrepresented in research. This study engages a newly developed cultural advisory board (CuAB) to guide inclusive and community-driven health research among Asian Indians. Brief description of methods: Informed by community-engaged research principles, the CuAB was composed of Asian Indian healthcare professionals from Washington State representing diverse linguistic, regional, and religious backgrounds that reflect the heterogeneity within the Asian Indian community. The CuAB guided a subsequent study that would explore the barriers and facilitators to telehealth use among Asian Indians - a key method for delivering preventive and cancer-related care. The CuAB members advised on the study design, consent process, recruitment materials and strategies, semi-structured interview guide, and next steps. Exit interviews were conducted with CuAB board members to understand their experience and to contribute to the limited literature on the formation, structure, and impact of CuABs in health research. New unpublished data: Five individuals participated in the year-long CuAB, and four completed exit interviews. Their guidance informed the development of recruitment materials and the interview guide, highlighting opportunities to incorporate culturally relevant language, symbols, and colors. They also identified effective community-based recruitment and dissemination strategies, such as facilitating entry to local organizations for recruitment and regional groups for dissemination. The exit interviews revealed strong support for the board’s structure and size, meeting format, and its diverse composition. Suggestions for future CuABs included: dedicating the initial meeting to in-depth introductions so members can share their work and community networks; employing innovative tools to encourage participation from all members as cultural nuances may influence participation - for example, offering virtual or anonymized options for written input to support those less comfortable speaking up in group settings; and dividing the CuAB into two subgroups based on member interest and availability where one group is focused on setting meeting agendas and drafting study materials (like interview guides and recruitment tools), and the other provides feedback. Conclusions: This approach demonstrates how culturally nuanced community engagement models that center intracommunity diversity, like a CuAB, can shape more representative, relevant, and community-centered research. Such models offer a promising approach for cancer prevention research, where culturally tailored strategies and genuine, meaningful community involvement are critical to advancing health equity. Citation Format: Priyanka Gautom, Cirila Estela Vasquez Guzman, Lisa K. Marriott, Cara L. Eckhardt, Angad Singh, Stuti Nagpal, Anjulie Ganti, Shoba Ramanadhan, Gloria D. Coronado. Increasing rigor of inclusive health research with Cultural Advisory Boards (CuAB): Asian Indian recommendations for research practice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B042.