The manner and degree to which African Americans have been involved in medical research—a population often cited as being unduly burdened by disease—have long been expressed as a concern by leaders in the scientific community. While several efforts have been undertaken to identify factors inhibiting the participation of African Americans in health-related research, few efforts have been undertaken to have highlight factors associated with the engagement of African Americans in health-related research and gene testing [15, 22–30]. A focused study of factors presumed to be associated with the participation of African Americans in health-related genetic research was therefore proposed. The study was conducted by a team of nurse scientists, health educators, clinicians, and biostatisticians using principles of community engagement and community-based research [31, 32]. The study was designed to assess factors associated with the engagement of African Americans in health-related research among a targeted group of African-American men and women. More specifically, the study was designed to assess the influence of knowledge about genetics; beliefs regarding benefits and risks of gene testing; perceptions regarding the utility of genetic testing; and
