Virtual Community Health Educator for Diverse Cancer Clinical Trial Recruitment

This study is exploring how effective a virtual community health educator, or vCHE, can be in increasing the number of cancer patients and their caregivers who are referred to clinical trials. Many people from underrepresented and underserved communities do not participate enough in cancer clinical trials, leading to unequal benefits from new treatments. Traditional community health educators have helped in the past, but they can be expensive and hard to manage. vCHEs are digital, photo-realistic agents designed to offer personalized support and information in both English and Spanish. They can represent various genders and racial or ethnic backgrounds, which might help more diverse groups of people join cancer clinical trials. Participants in this study will interact with a vCHE, which serves as a digital guide providing tailored information and guidance about clinical trials. The study will monitor how well these virtual agents can encourage more diverse participation in cancer trials by offering culturally relevant support. While the study does not involve taking any medication or undergoing treatments, it focuses on improving access to clinical trials, which could lead to more equitable cancer care. Potential risks are minimal, and the benefits could include higher trial enrollment rates among diverse populations, leading to more inclusive cancer research.