Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is a potentially curative therapeutic option increasingly used for a variety of hematologic malignancies and disorders. HSC transplant into a recipient patient first requires the identification of a suitable human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donor, and harvest of bone marrow or peripheral stem cells once a donor is identified. In the United States, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) maintains a registry of potential volunteer donors who have undergone preliminary HLA-typing. Compared to Whites, Asian/Pacific Islander American (API) patients who search the NMDP registry have a lower likelihood of successfully receiving an unrelated, HLA-matched hematopoietic stem cell transplant. This disparity is attributable to at least two issues. First, there are fewer potentially matched donors available to API patients, possibly because of high HLA polymorphism within API populations. While 87% of White patients searching the NMDP registry found at least one potential matching donor, only 75% of API patients were able to find a potential match.6 Second, volunteer donors among API groups have a high rate of attrition from the registry. More than half (56%) of API potential donors preliminarily matched to patients did not complete the full medical and laboratory testing needed to complete HSC harvest and donation.6 We propose to obtain qualitative data from one API community (Korean Americans) regarding participation in the NMDP registry. We intend to identify factors that influence both the initial decision to enroll in the donor registry, as well as the continued participation in the registry over time. To address these two topics, we will conduct 40 baseline in-depth, semi-structured qualitative interviews among Korean adults 18-60 years of age following community NMDP registry enrollment drives; half of these interviews will be conducted among participants who choose to enroll in the registry, while the other half will be conducted among participants who decline to enroll. Follow-up qualitative interviews will be conducted one year after baseline interviews among the half of the participants that enroll in the NMDP registry. Interview topics will include discussion about cultural beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes that may influence participation in the NMDP registry. We believe this R03 Small Grant proposal offers the opportunity to identify and explore the factors associated with enrollment and retention of potential API hematopoietic stem cell donors in a national registry program. These qualitative data will be used to identify targets for an educational program to address the specific concerns in Asian/Pacific Islander communities regarding hematopoietic stem cell donation, and to increase retention among potential donors. Ultimately, we hope to increase the likelihood of identifying HLA-matched donors and successfully completing hematopoietic stem cell transplant among Asian/Pacific Islander patients. to Public Health: We believe this small grant proposal offers the opportunity to inductively identify and explore the factors associated with enrollment and retention of potential Asian/Pacific Islander hematopoietic stem cell donors in a national registry program. We hope to use these qualitative data to identify targets for an educational program to address the specific concerns in Asian/Pacific Islander communities regarding stem cell donation, and to increase retention among potential donors. Ultimately, we hope to increase the likelihood of successful stem cell transplant among Asian/Pacific Islander patients. ? ? ? ?
