Encouraging Excellence: Health Science Education in Native American Communities

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The University of Nebraska Medical Center will continue to leverage the trust and cooperative spirit that we have garnered working with tribal schools and communities in Nebraska and South Dakota to develop, implement, and evaluate science curriculum, outreach activities, and training experiences targeting Native American students in grades K-12 and their teachers. The long-term goals of this project are to promote student interest in the sciences, foster a more science-literate public, and ultimately increase the number of Native Americans entering health and science careers. Advancing the health of Native American communities is the ultimate aim of every aspect of this project. Improved science teaching and heightened awareness of health careers will encourage students to enter these careers and hopefully bring these skills back to their communities. Public outreach that increases health literacy and healthy living will promote better personal health decisions. This supplement request seeks to expand our SEPA program to include the development of novel online modules that introduce students to concepts in virology and immunology with a specific focus on SARS-CoV-2 and vaccine development and hesitancy as has been observed in different populations during this pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is not limited to this era of the coronavirus pandemic. Thus, an increase in general knowledge will be beneficial as the world returns to normal and as the prospect of future outbreaks begins to recede in people’s memories.