Abstract:

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) people have a higher incidence of disease, injury and mortality from preventable causes than other Americans. High poverty, inadequate access to medical care, environmental exposures, inadequate education and underrepresentation in health professions are contributing factors. Training AI/AN health researchers to conduct well-designed research in tribal communities is one approach to address the health disparities disproportionately affecting native populations. A collaboration between Oregon Health & Science University and the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board, the Summer Research Training Institute (SRTI) provided AI/AN graduate students and community health professionals with the practical tools necessary to conduct quality, culturally appropriate research in their own communities for over a decade. This three-week summer training program consisted of different, intensive courses each week, such as Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Community Based Participatory Research. 2018 SRTI attendees evaluated each course and instructor during the training then provided feedback on job performance six months after the training. Participants positively assessed course content, organization, and quality of the instructors. They also emphasized the unique networking opportunities this training program provided. Focused on building research capacity at the community level, this intensive training program empowers tribal members to conduct culturally appropriate research focused on the specific issues of their communities. In total, 1,443 professionals, students and community members (880 enrolled tribal members) have participated in the SRTI since its inception.

Keywords:

American Indian/Alaska Native, health disparities, health research, capacity building.