Empowering Latinas to Obtain Guideline-Concordant Breast Cancer Screenings

ABSTRACT Proposed Research Plan. Latinas are less likely to receive timely diagnostic care and are more likely to experience greater psychosocial distress following screening mammograms, relative to non-Latino Whites (NLW). Disparities in diagnostic resolution contribute to worse cancer outcomes (e.g., late stage cancer, worse

post-diagnosis quality of life). Past research has highlighted a major, modifiable, determinant of disparities – social isolation. Latinas with abnormal mammogram results are less likely to engage their tight-knit family and community networks. In part, this is due to limited community knowledge of diagnostic processes, which

contribute to greater cancer fatalism and stigma. Existing interventions (e.g., navigation) focus on clinical barriers to diagnostic follow-up, but do not address the importance of social support access. The proposed work will address these knowledge gaps. Ms. Martinez and her team will conduct a qualitative, semi-structured,

study with 25 Latinas who have received abnormal results through the parent project. Aim 1 is to identify strategies that would enable Latinas' disclosure and access to social support, following an abnormal result. Aim 2 is to identify barriers and facilitators for Latinas' promotion of diagnostic processes with communities.

These findings will inform health communications interventions that enable Latinas to (1) access social support and (2) contribute to a supportive community environment for other Latinas who face diagnostic evaluation, after a screening mammogram. This ancillary project will add to the parent study, which focuses on screening

mammography, through expansion to understanding social networks in the context of diagnostic follow-up. Candidate. Ms. Martinez is a driven Latina graduate school trainee, as a BRCA carrier and family member of multiple Latinas diagnosed with breast cancer. Her major goals are to develop interventions that can maximize

mental health among Latinas and other marginalized communities undergoing cancer-related diagnostic, treatment, and survivorship care. Toward that goal, she is pursuing a Masters of Social Work degree in mental health and recently served Community Engagement Core Manager for a research center focused on cancer

equity. This work equipped her with skills in community engaged research and clinical training in mental health. However, she has major training gaps in health communications, qualitative research, and manuscript development. Career Development and Mentorship Plan. Ms. Martinez aims to become a highly impactful cancer equity

researcher at a research-intensive institution. Her training plan consists of didactic training (coursework, seminars), workshops, participation in scientific conferences, manuscript / pilot grant preparation, and personalized mentorship from a team that are experts in breast cancer equity, cancer-related mental well-

being, qualitative methods, community engagement, and health communications.