Strengthening Indigenous Health and Science Research: NW NARCH Program

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Abstract: OVERALL - Strengthening Indigenous Health and Science Research: NW NARCH Program In response to the national NARCH programmatic objectives, Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board has established the NW NARCH to form a tribal-academic partnership for health research focused on eliminating racial health disparities and will continue this partnership with this application. The NW tribal communities represented by the Board have a long track record of coordinated efforts to improve their health status. Our tribal-academic partnership will build a wide-reaching and multi-layered infrastructure to increase the skills of AI/AN researchers, and address health problems of critical importance to the tribes regionally, as well as those priority health issues of AI/ANs nationwide. In this application, we have defined multiple aims in two training projects that are consistent with the national NARCH programmatic emphasis. For our graduate and undergraduate support fellowship grant (Project 1), our key aim is to support research training that is conducted in a scientifically rigorous training program, in partnership with accredited programs locally and regionally, so that trainees will develop skills to conduct population health sciences research and address health-related issues of major importance to tribal people. For Project 2, we aim to reach further up ‘the pipeline’ and provide population sciences training and hands-on research experiences for tribal high school seniors and juniors in an enrichment program that includes hands-on, mentored research - and will continue to nurture them as they progress in academia. This is a new area for our NARCH, but the Board, OHSU, and PSU faculty and consultants on this grant have vast experience with this demographic group. The specific aims for each project are presented in detail in their individual grant sections. These proposals are in exact alignment with the NIH Strategic Plan for Tribal Health Research FY 2019-2023. Impact: We have planned an exciting set of projects in collaboration with university partners at OHSU and PSU, with Advisory Board members, and with highly qualified and experienced (mostly tribal) consultants. Our plans build on strengths we developed in the first ten cycles of NARCH funding. We have made some innovative changes for this round of applications and are pleased that our projects will include involvement of AI/AN personnel in key roles—including former NARCH-funded students and fellows in key roles. Our program leadership is experienced in AI/AN health research, our advisory committee is enthusiastic about assisting our efforts, and our tribal communities are fully supportive of our plans. We predict that our program will address some of the health disparities experienced by AI/AN communities, and that we will help bridge the gap between academia and the tribal communities through our diverse activities.