Advancing Survivors’ Knowledge (ASK) About Skin Cancer

High levels of personal contact between study staff and participants have proved beneficial to research recruitment and retention efforts (1). For national studies, in which personal contact is not possible, videos can provide similar benefits. For example, viewers can experience the passion of the PI as he or she explains why the research is important. The latest study news can be delivered directly from the research team in brief dispatches. Investigators can directly say “thank you” to participants for their contributions to scientific advances.

HCC has developed a low-cost process for producing videos that do not require high-end production values but can be appropriate for online research recruitment, retention, and dissemination activities. We utilize a location that is convenient for the researcher, develop talking points to guide focused but unscripted commentary, and film the speaker with minimal setup or disruption. After expert editing, captioning, and adding graphics we can upload the video to YouTube or embed it in a website.

In this video, Alan Geller invites potential participants to join the ASK (Advancing Survivors’ Knowledge) About Skin Cancer study in a video that looks professional but not overproduced or commercial, helping to affirm the sincerity of the PI and the trustworthiness of the research.

(1) Recruitment and Retention for Community-Based eHealth Interventions with Populations of Low Socioeconomic Position: Strategies and Challenges Rebekah H. Nagler, Shoba Ramanadhan, Sara Minsky, & K. Viswanath. Journal of Communication 63 (2013) 201–220.