Abstract 4027: Self-confidence as a driver of community impact: Outcomes of the Community Genetic Navigation Engagement Specialist (CoGENES) train-the-trainer program
Authors: Bianca Rosales, Janet Rodriguez, Joel Sanchez Mendez, Yaneth L. Rodriguez, Charite Ricker, Rosa Barahona, Heinz Joseph Lenz, John Carpten, Mariana C. Stern, Lourdes A. Baezconde-Garbanati
Journal: Cancer Research (2025)

Abstract Hispanic/Latino (H/L) populations are disproportionally affected by colorectal cancer (CRC). This disparity is driven by a lack of awareness about CRC prevention, genetic testing, and access to culturally appropriate resources. A CoGENES train-the-trainer program was develop for a workforce of community health workers (CHWs) as part of COPECC, a Cancer Moonshot NCI funded PE-CGS network program at USC. After development and testing with community input, the program was implemented in three phases. Phase 1: Twelve CHWs participated in six in-person sessions over three weeks in Spanish/English, which provided knowledge on CRC/genetic testing, and community education strategies. Phase 2: the trained CoGENES replicated the sessions within their respective H/L communities training 30 more CoGENES. Phase 3: all 42 CoGENES are disseminating information through community events using the CoGENES training manual, to sustain long-term community impact. Data was collected on the number of individuals educated, events attended, and CRC/genetic testing information disseminated. Demographic and acculturation information was collected through surveys. Self-confidence to train others was measured at baseline, after training completion, at a 6 and 12 month follow-up, using a team-developed nine-item tool. All p-values are two-sided from paired t-tests. Majority of the participants were female (phase 1 = 75%, phase 2 = 79%) Mexico-born (92% &amp; 75%), and very Latino oriented (67% &amp; 71%). We saw a statistically significant increase in the “self-confidence to train others” in 8/9 items and 7/9 items of the survey for Phase 1 and Phase 2 CoGENES after they received the training (p-values &amp;lt;0.05). The level of self-confidence was sustained at 6 and 12 months, with no difference in the mean values of the items when compared to post-training values in Phase 1 CoGENES (p-values &amp;gt;0.05). In Phase 2 CoGENEs, we saw a decrease in the mean values for 5/9 items in the survey for the 12-month follow-up when compared to after training (p-values &amp;lt;0.05). Despite this, all the values remained higher at 12-months than at baseline. The difference between baseline and 12-month follow-up was the confidence to “describe what genetic tumor testing is” (p = 0.016) in Phase 1 CoGENES, and the confidence to “describe what genetic counseling is” (p = 0.017) in Phase 2 CoGENES. The CoGENES train-the-trainer program, a culturally tailored linguistically specific approach to address disparities in CRC prevention and genetic testing within H/L communities. Results show a lasting increase in the self-confidence of participants to empower other individuals in their communities to disseminate CRC prevention knowledge. The CoGENES CHWs partnered with 20 community-based organizations, reaching over 3 million people through community events, media interviews, podcasts, and workshops. Citation Format: Bianca Rosales, Janet Rodriguez, Joel Sanchez Mendez, Yaneth L. Rodriguez, Charite Ricker, Rosa Barahona, Heinz Joseph Lenz, John Carpten, Mariana C. Stern, Lourdes A. Baezconde-Garbanati. Self-confidence as a driver of community impact: Outcomes of the Community Genetic Navigation Engagement Specialist (CoGENES) train-the-trainer program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 4027.