The White Mountain Apache Tribe (WMAT) and Johns Hopkins University (JHU) have partnered successfully on NARCH I, III, V, VI, VII, and VIII. Each NARCH application has included an integrated focus on training and community driven research which has deepened our understanding of local and cross-tribal health disparities, produced new public health solutions and added to the continuous development of our innovative training model that combines student and faculty development. Overall goals of the WMAT-JHU NARCH IX initiative are to: 1) increase the pool of trained American Indian/ Alaska Native (AI/AN) scientists and research professionals; 2) strengthen our partnership with JHU and other research institutions through innovative CBPR projects and learning across WMA and western cultural and scientific knowledge and world views; and 3) field innovative, strengths-based and culturally driven research to combat major AI/AN health disparities. The WMAT-JHU NARCH IX application includes four components to meet these goals: 1) a student and faculty development project that will integrate academic and field-based research training, and 2) three NARCH research projects targeting substance abuse, suicide and STIs--leading Apache and other AI/AN health disparities. The research projects are designed to provide a supportive, multi-disciplined platform for training AI investigators on broad scientific research methods and will contribute new cultural and scientific understanding to protective factor-based intervention development and outcomes in AI/AN settings. Apache scientists will build skills in: biomedical and behavioral sciences, qualitative and quantitative research methods, culturally grounded development and deep structure adaptation of strengths-based evidence-informed interventions; and, rigorous, culturally competent evaluation approaches. The studies are built upon previous NARCH research findings, will apply innovative methods and approaches, and tap cultural and community assets to address major AI health disparities across the lifespan with potential for intergenerational impact. Activities have been selected and will be guided by the existing White Mountain Apache NARCH Community Advisory Board.
The White Mountain Apache-JHU NARCH IX builds on our successful partnership to advance the tribal sovereignty in health research and training. We are creating a future where multi-disciplined AI scientists will unravel Native health disparities, and our communities will become agents of change for global well-being. We aspire for the richness of our Apache view of life and research discoveries to benefit Native and non-Native communities alike, achieving greater healing across the world.
