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

Colorectal cancer affects Hispanic/Latino communities more than others, partly due to low awareness and limited access to information. To help address this, a training program called CoGENES was created to teach community health workers (CHWs) about cancer prevention and genetic testing. The program was taught in Spanish and English and included three phases: training 12 CHWs, having those CHWs train 30 more, and then sharing the information widely through community events. Most trainees were women born in Mexico. After training, participants felt more confident teaching others, and this confidence mostly lasted up to a year. Through this program, CHWs helped spread life-saving cancer information to over 3 million people.