Creating a pediatric advisory board for engaging youth in pediatric health research: A case study

• Published in: Journal of clinical and translational science Vol. 5; no. 1; p. e113
• Main Authors: Orellana, Minerva, Valdez-Soto, Miguel, Brockman, Tabetha A., Balls-Berry, Joyce E., Zavala Rocha, Maria Guadalupe, Allyse, Megan A., DSouza, Karen N., Riggan, Kirsten A., Juhn, Young, Patten, Christi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Cambridge University Press 30.03.2021
• Subjects: Age; Brief Report; Case studies; Community; Community-engaged research; COVID-19; Ethics; Ethnicity; Feedback; Focus groups; Human subjects; human subjects research; Implementation, Policy and Community Engagement; Marijuana; Medical referrals; Medical research; Meetings; Parents & parenting; pediatric advisory board; Pediatrics; Re-engineering the Clinical Research Enterprise in Response to COVID-19: The CTSA Experience; Researchers; Teenagers; Verbal communication; Word of mouth advertising; youth; Community-engaged research; community; human subjects research; pediatric advisory board; youth
• ISSN: 2059-8661; 2059-8661
• DOI: 10.1017/cts.2021.399

Youth are an understudied population requiring additional safeguards when participating in research. Their input is necessary to facilitate participation and interest in studies. To address this, Mayo Clinic established one of the first pediatric advisory boards (PAB) comprised of 18 diverse youth aged 11–17. The PAB members participated in quarterly meetings (in person and then by video conference with the advent of COVID-19) where they provided feedback to researchers on recruitment strategies, study materials, and procedures. The PAB meetings fostered bidirectional conversations with researchers on several health research topics, including mental health. Youth advisory boards can promote engagement in pediatric research.