This session will discuss the impacts of the ongoing pandemic on engaging Black Americans in outcomes research. An ongoing study will be used as a platform to illustrate lessons learned; this study is specifically aimed at testing a vaccine hesitancy intervention delivered to older Black Philadelphians.

Tarlan Namvar will moderate the session, starting off by highlighting the pandemic’s impacts on outcomes study recruitment with focus on minority populations and briefly introducing the Motivating Older Adults to Trust Vaccines and Their Effects (MOTIVATE) study as a case example for discussion (15 minutes); Katherine Prioli will discuss methodological considerations posed by the pandemic in terms of virtual deployment of study consent, data collection, and associated Institutional Review Board implications (15 minutes); and Keyerra Charles will discuss community outreach strategies used to engage the older Black population in outcomes research through senior centers and other community venues (e.g., churches and residential facilities) involved in the MOTIVATE study as well as previous studies. She will close by sharing insights on how to build trust in outcomes research among potential participants, which is essential to their participation as well as ultimately developing the scientific evidence needed to inform healthcare decisions and improve health equity (20 minutes). In the remaining 15 minutes, the audience will be encouraged to share their experiences with a goal of identifying a short list of best practices. Polling will be used to ascertain the audience’s current involvement in the topic as well as to identify the major recruitment challenges experienced by participants in the COVID era.

Academia and industry researchers, health technology assessment experts, and patient advocates who are involved in designing, conducting, and/or evaluating outcomes research studies of older Black Americans will benefit from attending this session.