The overall goal of the proposed COBRE-funded Center for Alaska Native Health Research (CANHR) is to achieve a permanent and sustainable research center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) with the primary theme of investigating obesity and chronic disease-related risk, control, and prevention among Alaska Natives.
Specific Aim 1. To enhance the biomedical research infrastructure for Alaska Native health research at the University of Alaska. This will be achieved through an increase in the University's commitment to biomedical research with Alaska Natives, additional research opportunities through an expansion of the number of Alaska Native research sites, formation of statewide research partnerships; and strengthening the integrated organizational structure for COBRE II research. Standing cores have been strengthened and functions consolidated; a Nutrition and Physical Activity Core has been added. The cores are aligned with the long-term CANHR research agenda.
Specific Aim 2. Increase the number of investigators at the University of Alaska receiving NIH independent investigator funding for CANHR-related research. This will be achieved by completing four research projects by highly talented new CANHR investigators. Investigators are pursuing research that 1) develops a cultural understanding of the perceptions of weight and diabetes etiology and their relationships to health among Yup'ik Eskimos; 2) investigates a methodology of unbiased biomarkers of dietary intake based on variations in food stable isotope ratios and compares those biomarkers to concurrent diet records; 3) determines nutrients and contaminants in Yup'ik subsistence food sources; and 4) understands more precisely and measures stressors and coping methods among Yup'ik Eskimos. Each investigation will provide a more differentiated understanding of health disparities of Alaska Natives. They will serve as the basis for applications to NIH and a foundation for prevention, applied, and basic research into Alaska Native health disparities. CANHR will increase capacity and strengthen its mentorship ability by hiring two Associate Professors with a record of success in NIH funding. CANHR contributes to the public health of the Alaskan population by identifying risk and protective factors for chronic diseases among an underserved population. Results have implications for understanding the causes and contributing factors of health disparities of other rural minorities in America and in the circumpolar North. They have the potential for translation into additional research that will develop evidence-based practices for primary and secondary prevention. The COBRE provides a foundation for sustaining a research environment with a mission of utilizing research to influence policy and practices that can reduce health disparities. ? ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Type
Exploratory Grants (P20)
Project #
2P20RR016430-06A1
Application #
7276966
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRR1-RI-5 (01))
Program Officer
Liu, Yanping
Project Start
2001-09-30
Project End
2012-06-30
Budget Start
2007-08-01
Budget End
2008-06-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2007
Total Cost
$2,216,865
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
615245164
City
Fairbanks
State
AK
Country
United States
Zip Code
99775
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Maurice, Anne-Claire; Philip, Jacques; Bersamin, Andrea (2017) Yup'ik identity and socioeconomic status are associated with child consumption of traditional food and weight in rural Yup'ik communities. Ethn Health :1-11
Koller, Kathryn R; Flanagan, Christie A; Day, Gretchen E et al. (2017) High tobacco use prevalence with significant regional and sex differences in smokeless tobacco use among Western Alaska Native people: the WATCH study. Int J Circumpolar Health 76:1398009
Philip, Jacques; Ryman, Tove K; Hopkins, Scarlett E et al. (2017) Bi-cultural dynamics for risk and protective factors for cardiometabolic health in an Alaska Native (Yup'ik) population. PLoS One 12:e0183451
Power, Julianne M; Braun, Kathryn L; Bersamin, Andrea (2017) Exploring the Potential for Technology-Based Nutrition Education Among WIC Recipients in Remote Alaska Native Communities. J Nutr Educ Behav 49:S186-S191.e1
Lardon, Cécile; Wolsko, Christopher; Trickett, Edison et al. (2016) Assessing health in an Alaska native cultural context: The Yup'ik Wellness Survey. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol 22:126-36
Fohner, Alison E; Wang, Zhican; Yracheta, Joseph et al. (2016) Genetics, Diet, and Season Are Associated with Serum 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol Concentration in a Yup'ik Study Population from Southwestern Alaska. J Nutr 146:318-25
Philip, Jacques; Ford, Tara; Henry, David et al. (2016) Relationship of Social Network to Protective Factors in Suicide and Alcohol Use Disorder Intervention for Rural Yup'ik Alaska Native Youth. Interv Psicosoc 25:45-54
Aslibekyan, Stella; Vaughan, Laura K; Wiener, Howard W et al. (2016) Linkage and association analysis of circulating vitamin D and parathyroid hormone identifies novel loci in Alaska Native Yup'ik people. Genes Nutr 11:23
Lemas, Dominick J; Klimentidis, Yann C; Aslibekyan, Stella et al. (2016) Polymorphisms in stearoyl coa desaturase and sterol regulatory element binding protein interact with N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake to modify associations with anthropometric variables and metabolic phenotypes in Yup'ik people. Mol Nutr Food Res 60:2642-2653

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