News Advisory
New Teaching Tools Foster Science and
Diabetes Education in Native American Schools
|
| What: |
The Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools’ (DETS) “Health
is Life in Balance” K-12 curriculum will be launched
by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
the Indian Health Service (IHS), the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) and eight tribal colleges and
universities. Also joining the launch are the Tribal Leaders
Diabetes Committee and health administrators, educators and
providers from approximately 400 Indian Health Service, Tribal
and Urban diabetes programs. |
| Why: |
For many years type 2 diabetes has disproportionately
affected adults in American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
The disease is now affecting native youth at an alarming
rate. The science of diabetes and tribal traditions are key
components of this first-of-its-kind K-12 curriculum. The
purpose of DETS is two-fold: to empower native youth with
the knowledge to prevent or delay diabetes in those at risk
and to inspire students to pursue careers in health and science. |
| When: |
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 |
| Where: |
Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American
Indian (NMAI) Rooms 4018-4019 4th St. and Independence Avenue
S.W. Washington, D.C. 20560
Media Briefing: 11:00 a.m.
Contact: Joanne Gallivan or Joan Chamberlain, 301-496-3583, NIDDKMedia@mail.nih.gov
- Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, MACP, Director, NIDDK/NIH
- Buford Rolin, Chairman, Poarch Band of Creek Indians,
Co-Chair, Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee
- Janet Belcourt, MPH, Director, NIDDK Diabetes Program,
Stone Child College, Rocky Boy, MT
- Kelly Acton, MD, MPH, FACP, Director, Division of Diabetes
Treatment and Prevention, IHS
- Ann Albright, PhD, RD, Director, Division of Diabetes
Translation, CDC
- Lawrence Y.C. Agodoa, MD, FACP, Director, Office of
Minority Health Research Coordination, NIDDK/NIH
- Sanford Garfield, PhD, Director, Diabetes Education
in Tribal Schools, NIDDK/NIH
Round Dance: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Contact: Gale Marshall, 828-421-5553, detslaunchadmin@mac.com
A public Round Dance in the NMAI atrium will
be sponsored by Haskell Indian Nations University and directed
by Alvin and Jonathan Windy Boy (Chippewa Cree-Rocky Boy,
MT).
"Honoring Native Health Warriors" Walk:
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
The Association of American Indian Physicians and the National
Indian Health Board are hosting "Honoring Native Health
Warriors." The walk starts on the Northeast side of the
Washington Monument and ends on the National Mall at the
Corner of Jefferson Drive and 3rd Street. The program includes
Gerald Hill, MD, Board President, Association of American
Indian Physicians, and Rocco Clark, Yakama Nation, "Dance
Away Diabetes" demonstration. |
NIDDK conducts and supports research in diabetes and other endocrine
and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutrition, and obesity;
and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases. Spanning the full
spectrum of medicine and afflicting people of all ages and ethnic
groups, these diseases encompass some of the most common, severe,
and disabling conditions affecting Americans. For more information
about NIDDK and its programs, see www.niddk.nih.gov.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |
