Care and Precision Medicine Research in the Time of COVID-19

Purpose: Enhancing the bidirectional benefit of precision medicine research infrastructure may advance equity in research participation for diverse groups. This study explores the use of research infrastructure to provide human-centered COVID-19 resources to participants as a part of their research participation.Design: The All of Us New England (AoUNE) consortium research team developed standardized check-in telephone calls to ask participants about their well-being and share COVID-19 resources.Participants: A total of 20,559 participants in the AoUNE consortium received a COVID-19 check-in call.Methods: Research assistants called participants during March-April 2020, distributed COVID-19 resources to interested participants, and subsequently rated call tone.Results: Of the total cohort participants called, 8,512 (41%) spoke with a research team member. The majority of calls were rated as positive or neutral; only 3% rated as negative. African American and Black as well as Hispanic populations requested COVID-19 resources at higher rates than other groups.Conclusion: Calls made to AoUNE participants were received positively by diverse groups. These findings may have implications for participant-centered engagement strategies in precision medicine research.Ethn Dis. 2021;31(3):407-410; doi:10.18865/ed.31.3.407