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

项目总结/摘要 在美国，2900万人（占美国人口的9.3%）患有糖尿病， 少数民族，如美洲印第安人和阿拉斯加原住民（AI/AN），有一个惊人的高患病率， 糖尿病（AI/AN为15.9%，而非西班牙裔和白人为7.6%）。消除健康差距， 由于AI/AN中的糖尿病和肥胖症需要识别，招募，教育和培训 在美国有一群才华横溢的科学家。在犹他州大学，我们建立了一个土著 美国研究实习（NARI）计划，使用社区参与和本土的原则 长者，教师和学生指导，目标是增加AI/AN在生物医学领域的代表性 科学，从而减少健康差距。NARI本科生参与者接受研究，文化， 专业的指导和培训与承诺的社区成员和著名的科学家。到目前为止， 代表24个部落国家、29所学院/大学和19个家乡州的58名参与者参加了会议。 在节目中。所有人都成功地完成了项目要求，28人参加了两个夏天。 在58名参与者中，14名（24%）目前是攻读理科学位的本科生， (76%）已完成理科学士学位。没有人从大学退学。10人（17%） 参与者在NARI项目后曾在生物医学科学领域担任研究助理。后 获得本科学位，19名（33%）参与者继续在 健康/科学领域：10人被接受进入生物医学研究生课程; 8人被接受进入医学 学校; 1人被两所学校录取（他获得了细胞和分子生物学硕士学位，现在是第三年 医学生）。NARI受训人员目前的研究经验仅限于孕产妇和新生儿疾病领域， 儿童健康、心血管、肺和血液病，但不包括糖尿病或肥胖症- 相关研究。在最近的一项调查中，我们目前的NARI参与者报告说，糖尿病和肥胖是 他们的家庭最关心的健康问题，大多数参与者的家庭成员患有糖尿病 (63%）或肥胖（76%）。通过这项提案，我们将扩大现有的NARI计划， 糖尿病和肥胖症研究（NARI-NIDDK）的经验和教育培训，两个主要的健康 这些问题困扰着AI/AN人群。

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.