The Administrative Core of the Southwest Hub for American Indian Youth Suicide Prevention Research (Southwest Hub) will function as the backbone of the research and administration initiatives of the youth suicide prevention enterprise. It will provide essential management, logistical and technical support to successfully implement the proposed study, capacity building activities, and application of findings to policy development and practice to prevent American Indian youth suicide and promote resilience among Hub partners and beyond. Hun team members include technical lead, johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health (CAIH); core research intensive partners, the White Mountain Apache Tribe and Navajo Nation; and satellite partners, the San Carlos Apache, Hualapai and Cherokee Nations. Primary aims of the Administrative Core are: 1) oversee the responsible and accountable administration, coordination and fiscal management of all activities of this NIMH U19 cooperative agreement; 2) optimize effective, unified, timely and transparent communication, collaboration, interaction, and decision-making among the multi-disciplinary research team, tribal community collaborators; allied health service and policy organizations; other Hub grantees and their networks; and NIMH staff; and 3) conduct outreach and dissemination activities in consultation with tribal leaders to ensure key findings reach most relevant audiences to inform mental health programs, practices and policies to promote AIAN youth health and well-being. CAIH is well-situated to administer the Southwest Hub with current reach to indigenous populations across North American, substantial experience managing a portfolio of over 70 federal grants, and successful dissemination of its evidence-based programs to over 75 tribal communities. Innovative aspects of our Administrative Core include: leveraging well-formed Community Advisory Boards, paired teams of academic and community partners for capacity development, and innovative technology for project management, communication and collaboration. The Southwest Hub partners are poised to expand upon trusted research relationships to produce novel evidence, and exercise tribal sovereignty and extensive networks to overcome tribal youth suicide disparity, while contribution new understanding about promoting youth resilience.
