Native American Research Internship (NARI) Summer Program in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In the United States, 29 million people (9.3% of the US population) have diabetes and underrepresented minorities, such as American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AI/AN), have a disproportionally high prevalence of diabetes (15.9% for AI/AN compared to 7.6% for non-Hispanic and whites). Eliminating health disparities such as diabetes and obesity among AI/AN requires the identification, recruitment, education, and training of a diverse group of talented scientists in the US. At the University of Utah, we have established a Native American Research Internship (NARI) program that uses the principles of community engagement and Native elders, faculty, and student guidance with the goal of increasing AI/AN representation in the biomedical sciences and thus reducing health disparities. NARI undergraduate participants receive research, cultural, and professional mentorship and training with committed community members and renowned scientists. To date, 58 participants representing 24 tribal nations, 29 colleges/universities, and 19 home states, have participated in the program. All have successfully completed the program requirements with 28 participating for 2 summers. Of the 58 participants, 14 (24%) are currently undergraduates working towards a science degree, and 44 (76%) have completed a bachelor’s degree in science. No one has dropped out of college. Ten (17%) participants have worked in the biomedical sciences as research assistants following the NARI program. Upon obtaining their undergraduate degree, 19 (33%) of the participants are continuing their education in the health/science fields: 10 were accepted into a biomedical graduate program; 8 were accepted into medical school; and 1 was accepted to both (he obtained his MS in Cell and Molecular Biology and is now a 3rd year medical student). The current research experiences for NARI trainees is limited to the fields of maternal and child health, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and hematologic disease, but not in the field of diabetes or obesity- related research. In a recent survey, our current NARI participants reported that diabetes and obesity were the top health concerns of their families and the majority of participants have family members affected by diabetes (63%) or obesity (76%). Through this proposal, we will expand the existing NARI program to include research experiences and educational training in diabetes and obesity research (NARI-NIDDK), two major health concerns that plague AI/AN populations.