S06GM142121

Navajo NARCH Partnership - Abstract

The Navajo NARCH Partnership strives to recruit, train, and mentor a cadre of indigenous scholars and health research professionals equipped to advance health equity in the Navajo Nation and in Indian Country, more generally. The center will be co-led by Dine College (Tribal College of the Navajo Nation) (MPI: MC Bauer, PhD) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) (MPI: NI Teufel-Shone, PhD), with guidance from a Community Advisory Board that represents Navajo Department of Health, Navajo Area Indian Health Service (IHS), Northern Navajo Medical Center, Navajo Nation Health, Education and Services Committee, Navajo Nation Scholarship Office, and academic leadership of Dine College and NAU.

Through the development of an education to profession pathway and the engagement of early stage Navajo investigators (ESIS), the Navajo NARCH Partnership will create a collegial environment that uses relationships or k'e (Navajo recognition of connectedness, kinship, and respect) to support an internal mentoring system in which each senior level of achievement (e.g., BSPH, MPH, and ESI) assumes the responsibility of being a role model for each junior level of achievements (high school, BSPH, and MPH), respectively. At all levels, course content and experiential learning in service and research projects are tailored to address the relationship between health and the socio-cultural context of the Navajo Nation.

The Administration Core will provide technical guidance and facilitate the subcontract agreements and coordination of the pilot research projects: 1) Navajo Genetic Toolkit: A Culturally-Tailored Guide for Engagement and Oversight of Genetic Research, co-PIs K. Claw, PhD (University of Colorado, CU), N. Garrison, PhD (UCLA), and F. Sage (Dine Policy Institute); and 2) Standardized Language Assessments Among Navajo Children with and without Developmental Language Delay, D. Henderson, PhD (NAU). Pilot projects are led by Navajo PIs and engage BSPH and MPH students, fostering a generation of Native American researchers experienced in the use of culturally grounded, scientifically rigorous approaches to advance health research.

The overall partnership aims are:

1) To develop Native American scientists and health professionals through educational opportunities designed to attract, educate, challenge, and mentor scholars at all levels to attain health research skills needed to drive innovative approaches to health and wellness in Navajo Nation and Indian Country.

2) To foster the continued growth of relationships between Dine College, the NNDOH, NAU, CU, UCLA, and IHS to meet the health needs of the Navajo people and to contribute to the development of a truly Navajo research agenda.

3) To develop and test culturally relevant approaches to advance health equity in Navajo communities by supporting original research and translating research results to inform health policy, programs, and practice for Navajo and other Native communities.

Dine College

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF GENERAL MEDICAL SCIENCES (NIGMS) SUPPORTS BASIC RESEARCH THAT INCREASES OUR UNDERSTANDING OF BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND LAYS THE FOUNDATION FOR ADVANCES IN DISEASE DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT, AND PREVENTION. NIGMS ALSO SUPPORTS RESEARCH IN SPECIFIC CLINICAL AREAS THAT AFFECT MULTIPLE ORGAN SYSTEMS: ANESTHESIOLOGY AND PERI-OPERATIVE PAIN, CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY ?COMMON TO MULTIPLE DRUGS AND TREATMENTS, AND INJURY, CRITICAL ILLNESS, SEPSIS, AND WOUND HEALING.? NIGMS-FUNDED SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE HOW LIVING SYSTEMS WORK AT A RANGE OF LEVELSFROM MOLECULES AND CELLS TO TISSUES AND ORGANSIN RESEARCH ORGANISMS, HUMANS, AND POPULATIONS. ADDITIONALLY, TO ENSURE THE VITALITY AND CONTINUED PRODUCTIVITY OF THE RESEARCH ENTERPRISE, NIGMS PROVIDES LEADERSHIP IN SUPPORTING THE TRAINING OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS, ENHANCING THE DIVERSITY OF THE SCIENTIFIC WORKFORCE, AND DEVELOPING RESEARCH CAPACITY THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

93.859 - Biomedical Research and Research Training

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) [HHS - NIH]

Tsaile, Arizona 865565048 United States

Single Zip Code

Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) (S06 Clinical Trial Optional) (PAR-20-125)