Analysis Core

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ANALYSIS CORE ABSTRACT By virtually any measure, elderly American Indians, Alaska Natives, (AI/ANs) and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (NHPIs) are at higher risk than elderly non-Hispanic Whites for numerous acute and chronic illnesses. As displaced Indigenous people, they are affected by certain social determinants of health that present intractable barriers to health equity. In 2021 life expectancy for AI/ANs (72 years) was lower than for Blacks (75 years), Whites (79 years), and Hispanics (82 years). In the same year, the National Center for Health Statistics noted that life expectancy could not be estimated for NHPIs due to unreliable death certificate data. A diverse scientific workforce enhances the quality and impact of public health research with underserved populations, and for many years the NIH has sponsored programs aimed at increasing the number of underrepresented minority Principal Investigators in its ranks. However, AI/AN and NHPI Principal Investigators continue to account for a miniscule fraction of academic health research faculty, and in the higher ranks (e.g., Full Professor and administrative leadership) they are nearly nonexistent. The Community Health and Aging in Native Groups of Elders (CHANGE) Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR) is a continuation of the Native Elder Research Center RCMAR. Its goals are to recruit, train, and nurture a highly diverse cadre of early-stage investigators, referred to as CHANGE Scientists, who are pursuing careers dedicated to Native aging and Native Elders’ health research. The program will recruit 3 Scientists in each of 3 cohorts (9 total). Cohorts progress together through an 18-month curriculum comprising a 12-month Pilot Study and a 6-month grant writing program. The CHANGE Analysis Core’s Specific Aims are to: 1) offer state-of-the-art support research methods support to optimize the study design, measurement, data quality, and scientific validity of data analysis for CHANGE Pilot Studies; 2) provide mentoring, deliver didactic instruction, facilitate networking, and support grant writing for CHANGE Scientists; 3) demonstrate applied principles of community-based participatory research by adopting our novel 5-step rubric for quantitative methodologists; and 4) analyze program evaluation data collected by the Leadership and Administrative Core and by the Research and Education Component, catalog and disseminate CHANGE products, and collaborate with the RCMAR Coordinating Center to optimize the RCMAR initiative’s impact. The Analysis Core team offers expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, demography, and qualitative research methods. Core Faculty have many years of experience providing quantitative and qualitative methods support for Native health research studies led by AI/AN and NHPI Principal Investigators in collaboration with community partners, and they have a strong track record of mentoring Native and other underrepresented minority early-stage investigators, including RCMAR Scientists. The Analysis Core will work to ensure that CHANGE Pilot Studies yield accurate, reliable data; and to promote CHANGE Scientists’ professional development and NIH-funding success.