Expanding Indigenous Student Career Enhancement Opportunities

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GLNARCH X SCEP ABSTRACT The GLNARCH Student Career Enhancement Program builds upon the strength of 13 years of successful AI/AN health sciences student development programming funded primarily by NARCH II, IV, VI, and VIII. NARCH X specifically addresses the theme “Expanding Indigenous Student Career Enhancement Opportunities,” to maintain and sustainability of the GLNARCH Student Career Enhancement Program (SCEP) for generations to come. Carefully planned innovations will improve upon this successful model, including augmented self-assessment via tribal community-based focus groups with continual listening approaches and online integration so tribal communities Bemidji Area (MI, MN and WI) receive the greatest benefit. The GLNARCH American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Student Career Enhancement Program increases the number of American Indian/Alaska Native students, scientists, health professionals and organizations engaged in biomedical, clinical and behavioral community engaged research. This is accomplished via four phases ranging from middle/high school to doctoral level. SCEP supports the overall GLNARCH goal of enhancing the pool of trained scientists and health professionals addressing AI/AN health disparities. Specific aims include: 1) to increase exposure and knowledge of science and health careers in concert with pathways to student success; and 2) to increase opportunities for AI/AN college success as pipeline continues into paid research opportunities in health sciences and/or healthcare fields. The current GLNARCH pipeline encourages and facilitates AI/AN students to enter and advance in health research careers. The following new initiatives are proposed for GLNARCH X SCEP: 1) Reach out to tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) to help recruit high school students, as a way of easing the transition to four year colleges, and to partner on joint student recruitment for SCEP programs; 2) Partner with the proposed GLNARCH Tribal Research Resource Core each year for Phases III-IV student development opportunities. The following expansions to existing SCEP components are proposed: 1) Work with students to develop student portfolios; 2) Train students to create posters and digital stories, to include in their portfolios and a digital media database; 3) Develop and maintain an online cohort of students who communicate monthly or more often (facilitated by SCEP Coordinators) via GLNARCH Facebook™ page throughout their educational careers; and 4) Implement an improved evaluation plan using a new software system for tracking students in and between all phases of the SCEP pipeline, incorporating students’ activities, coursework, postsecondary goals and Individual Development Plans, for student advisement and retention purposes. We will also enhance current evaluation instruments to better measure SCEP process and objective outcomes. Integration with Capacity Building and Administrative community engagement aims will provide increased SCEP exposure in the community for bi-directional communication. Also, under the guidance of SCEP PI Margaret Noodin, Ph.D., two focus groups will be conducted annually to gather tribal community input and suggestions for program improvement and inclusion.