Previous research has examined African-American attitudes towards participation in biomedical research in general, and has found that the reasons for unwillingness to participate typically include stigma, and cultural or racial mistrust (Braunstein, Sherber, Schulman, Ding, & Powe, 2008; Furr, 2002; McQuillan, Porter, Agelli, & Kington, 2003; Shavers, Lynch, & Burmeister, 2002; Sterling, Henderson, & Corbie-Smith, 2006). Blacks as compared to Whites have been shown to have a greater mistrust of scientific research, independent of socio-economic status (SES) and education. (Furr, 2002; Laskey et al., 2003; McQuillan, Porter, Agelli, & Kington, 2003). Wariness associated with knowledge of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, as well as concerns about the reporting and uses of research findings, are thought to drive much of the Blacks’ suspicion of biomedical and genetic research (Bates & Harris, 2004; Jackson, 1999; McQuillan, Pan, & Porter, 2006; Schulz, Caldwell, & Foster, 2003). In addition, research has highlighted the perception in some Black communities, that their participation in scientific research often provides no meaningful or long-standing benefits, outside of cash incentives to individual subjects (Audrain, Tercyak, Goldman, & Bush, 2002; Cromwell,
