Mission and Goals
The American Indian/Alaska Native Researchers and Scholars Work Group (AIANRSWG) is one part of the program to support a better understanding of how to address substance abuse among AI/AN populations. The AIANRSWG works in conjunction with NIDA and the community to identify research needed to better understand, prevent, and treat substance abuse and addiction in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations and to support the development of addiction research capacity in AI/AN communities. In 2009 the workgroup implemented the Native-to-Native mentoring program, a nation-wide mentoring program, which is designed to train and support the career development of AI/AN researchers interested in substance abuse and addictions research.
Major Highlights and Accomplishments
To date, the Native to Native mentoring program has successfully recruited 17 mentors who are interdisciplinary faculty members from across the nation, and 22 mentees (post-baccalaureate and graduate students, medical residents, post-doctoral fellows, and early career faculty) from across Indian Country.
The AI/AN workgroup held their annual Native to Native Mentoring meeting during the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Annual Conference, August 9-14, 2011, Portland, Oregon. The meeting featured two mentorship specific events including a business meeting and day-long grant writing workshop in which selected mentees presented draft research proposals before the group for feedback. Additionally, mentors/mentees discussed aspects of the grant writing and implementation process, as exemplified by the presentations and as related to American Indian communities and research career development. In the larger conference, selected mentees presented at poster sessions.
In 2011, members of the AI/AN workgroup coordinated symposia related to American Indian health, with an emphasis on substance abuse and mental health. These symposia were held at conferences including the American Psychological Association and the Society for Psychological Anthropology. Mentees presented culturally relevant research at these symposia.
Upcoming Events
- TBD
Resources and Links
- CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities – AI/AN
- Medline Plus – Native-American Health
- National Library of Medicine – American Indian Health
- Native to Native mentorship web site: http://www.oneskycenter.org/projects/nida/
- PAR-11-346 Interventions for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Native American Populations (R01)
- NARCH FOA: to be issued
- Native Voices: Native Peoples' Concepts of Health and Illness - NLM
- Trans-NIH AI/AN Health Communications & Information Work Group
Workgroup Roster
-
Raymond Daw, M.A.
Health Services Administrator
Navajo Department of Behavioral Health
Services
Area of Expertise: Native American Cultural
Competency, Behavioral Health
http://www.historicaltrauma.com -
R. Dale Walker, M.D.
Professor and Director
Department of Psychiatry and Public Health and Preventative Medicine
Center for American Indian Health,
Education and Research, One Sky Center
Oregon Health and Science University
Area of Expertise: Prevention and Treatment
of Addiction and Mental Health Issues of
American Indians Community Based
Participatory Research, Cultural Issues
http://www.oneskycenter.org/about/bio_dale_walker.cfm -
Joseph P. Gone, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology & American Culture
Department of Psychology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 -
Clyde B. McCoy, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health,
University of Miami School of Medicine
Miami, FL 33136
Area of Expertise: Broad Span of
Epidemiology, Substance Abuse, Cancer,
Early Detection of Breast Cancer, HIVAIDS,
Community Studies, Health
Planning, and Health Services
http://biomed.miami.edu/?p=484&pid=185&m=facultyph&mid=1&item=295 -
Bernard Segal, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Northern Forum, University of Alaska
Anchorage
Area of Expertise: Substance Abuse -
Sally Stevens, Ph.D.
Executive Director and Professor
Southwest Institute for Research on Women
University of Arizona
Affiliation: Women's Studies Department,
Southwest Institute for Research on Women,
University of Arizona
Area of Expertise: Cultural and Gender
Issues specific to Mexican-origin Hispanics
and Native Americans in the Southwestern
United States, Health Disparities, Substance
Abuse, HIV and other infectious diseases,
Education and Mental Health Issues
http://sirow.arizona.edu/ -
Pamela Jumper Thurman, Ph.D.
Project Director; Senior Research Scientist
Colorado State University,
Center for Applied Studies in American Ethnicity
Colorado State University
Ethnic Studies Department
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1790
Area of Expertise: HIV/AIDS, Substance
Use, Violence Prevention, Community
Based Participatory Research, Cultural
Issues
www.happ.colostate.edu -
Kamilla L. Venner, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of New Mexico/CASAA
Albuquerque, NM 87106 -
Karina L. Walters, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Professor
School of Social Work, Interdisciplinary
Indigenous Wellness Research Institute,
University of Washington
Seattle WA 98105-6299
Area of Expertise: American Indian and
Alaska Native Health, Mental Health,
Substance Abuse, and Trauma
http://www.iwri.org -
Dolores Subia BigFoot, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of Oklahoma School of Medicine
Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Oklahoma City, OK 73190
Discipline: Clinical Child Psychology -
Dennis K. Norman, Ed.D., ABPP
Chief of Psychology, MGH
Faculty Chair, Harvard University Native
American Program
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Cambridge, MA 02138
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