NW NARCH NEWS
NPAIHB www.npaihb.org
BETWIXT TWO FIRS
Fall/Winter 2023
WHO'S NEW?
Dr. Becker chats with Dr. Craig Rushing about her path and aspirations in this issue's Betwixt Two Firs.
SUMMER
The Applied Biostatistics and Data Science (ABDS) two-year track marked its halfway point by holding intensive courses on a variety of biostats and data science topics. The 14 trainees in the track learned about data science methods, directed acyclic graphs, wearable technology devices data, and storytelling to communicate about research in the first week, held virtually. In the second week, nine trainees made the trip to beautiful Portland to dive head first into honing their skills in the statistical software program R and using it to implement statistical methods. Under the one-to-one guidance of caring instructors and teaching assistants, trainees learned concepts and worked through practice exercises together. Those tuning in virtually had a dedicated virtual teaching assistant to help them in a Zoom breakout room. Trainees were welcomed to Portland by Victoria Warren-Mears and met with Tam Lutz, Tom Becker, Ashley Thomas and others from NPAIHB; beloved instructors from earlier in the track; and staff and faculty in the OHSU School of Public Health. Trainees had ample opportunities to build their networks and connect with both career mentors and mentors for their capstone projects. A heartwarming personal connection was made between one trainee and his mentor, whom he had met only via Zoom. Throughout the week, trainees helped and shared their knowledge with each other, as well as with the next generation of public health researchers: they connected with Public Health Research Academy students, learned about this wonderful program, and offered words of wisdom for pursuing a career in public health. Trainees, track co-leads, and instructors all thoroughly enjoyed the chance to finally connect and socialize in person in this memorable and lovely week.
Research Academy Kick-off
Another Successful SRTI
A total of 102 registrants joined virtual classes ranging from Intermediate Epi to Technical Writing. The most popular class of the 2023 SRTI was Research Storytelling with 49 registered participants followed by Technical Writing with 28. We had four inspiring Lunchtime Seminars. Our goal is to develop research skills of Native health professionals and we proud to say we have reached this goal in the midst of Covid. Based on your evaluation feedback, we will be back in-person next year with more neuron-activating classes! Want to get in touch with us? Email summerinstitute@npaihb.org.
ABDS glides into year two
ABDS students mingle with Public Health Research ACademy students
2023 Tribal Researcher's Cancer Control Fellowship Program
Another cohort of AI/AN researchers began their journey in the Tribal Researchers’ Cancer Control Fellowship Program. Six fantastic applicants were selected to participate this year. The overall goal of this fellowship program is to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and improve cancer survival in tribal communities through the efforts of AI/AN researchers. The Northwest Native American Research Center for Health aims to increase research capacity and build research skills among AI/AN researchers so that they will be better prepared to design and implement research projects within their communities. Th 2023 Cancer training is a hybrid experience. The summer training curriculum was delivered virtually. Formal training in Cancer Prevention and Control took place from June 5th-9th followed by a course on NIH Grant Writing on June 12th-16th. The remainder of our curriculum will be offered October 22-28, 2023 in-person in Portland! We are excited to bring our trainees back to Portland for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to their days of training, they will also attend the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM Conference. We will offer the following modules in our October session include: Epidemiology The Role and Promise of Physical Activity in Cancer Prevention and Survival Dietary Interventions for Cancer Prevention Gynecologic Cancers Indigenous Approaches to Community Mentorship Addressing Cancer Health Disparities & Environmental Risk Factors in Indigenous Populations
Eight youth, representing five Northwest tribes, attended the June kick-off week. All attendees were female and most are entering the 11th & 12th grades. Students met Indigenous researchers, learned about important topics like creating a budget and developing an evaluation plan, and even participated in a canoe journey. Students were overwhelmingly positive about their experience and demonstrated an increase in knowledge about research methods and evaluation. Three more students will join the Academy in the fall for the remainder of the year. Virtual sessions begin in October and will wrap up with research presentations in April 2024.
HIGH LIGHTS
Fall/ Winter | 2023
IN FOCUS
PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH ACADEMY
Our first cohort of Academy students arrived in Portland during the annual THRIVE conference. Check out these cool moments & be inspired! To learn about our youth-driven evaluation, visit the American Evaluation Association's Indigenous People's Evaluation October 2023 newsletter.
Rebecca Ipiaqruk Young, Inupiaq
Since graduating in June, I have had a busy summer with my three young daughters visiting friends, family, and home in eastern Oregon. We have been working on sewing and beading traditional regalia for our upcoming home events at the Pendleton Round-Up where they will participate in dancing, parades, and the Jr. Indian Beauty Pageant in mid September. My work has continued at Kanaine.com, albeit slowly, as I reorganize my professional career goals post-Phd and NARCH. Luckily, I was able to remain in Corvallis, Oregon and transition into a dual role postdoctoral position for two separate NIEHS centers in the College of Health at Oregon State University. For the Superfund Research Program (SRP), I work in the community engagement core to build partnerships with community partners, mainly focused on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR). I am actively conducting a qualitative research project to better understand community perceptions of river food systems and cleanliness to improve research planning with Tribal partners and meaningful dissemination strategies. For OSU's new Advancing Science, Practice, Programming and Policy in Research Translation for Children's Environmental Health Center (ASP3IRE), I work in the translation core to expand and accelerate the impact of existing and emerging children's environmental health research by identifying way to move findings into practice. I am very excited to attend my first Collaborative Center in Children't Environmental Health Research and Translation Annual Meeting in Washington D.C. where we will get the chance to meet with our Congressional representatives in late September. I have also been accepted as a poster presenter at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2023 Annual meeting in November where I will share my dissertation work, highlighting access to violent death data in Indian Country in Atlanta in November.
Caleigh Curley, Diné (Navajo) and Hopi
I am in my fourth and final year as a medical student the first tribally affiliated medical school in the U.S.; the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine (OSUCOM) at Cherokee Nation. Currently, I am completing sub-internship rotations, which are auditions - or prolonged interviews - for medical residency programs. I hope to match into a training program where I can continue my career focus on women's health, tribal services, and healthcare equity. I am especially excited for two upcoming events, 1.) my oral presentation at the Association of American Indian Physicians (AAIP) Annual Meeting and Health Conference in San Diego, California over the OSUCOM Tribal Medicine Track that is training our future Indian Health Services physicians; and 2.) the NW NARCH TRCCFP in-person grant writing training in Portland, Oregon where I can learn how to combine my passion for healthcare and public health through grants management.
Sydelle Harrison, Cayuse, Walla Walla, Yakama Nation
I am the Adolescent Health Principal Investigator at the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. My work has focused on designing and evaluating multimedia programs to improve American Indian/Alaskan Native adolescent health, using mixed methods community-based participatory research strategies. I received a Masters of Public Health at Boston University, and PhD in Public Administration and Policy at Portland State University.
I am currently entering my second year as a PhD Indigenous Health student at the University of North Dakota. I am also a contractor with the Albuquerque Indian Health Board; specifically the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center where work on several programs.
I am a doctoral candidate in the Public Health Policy and Management Program at the University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH). My research interests are in public health, health policy, and data governance. I serves as a Senior Project Coordinator in the Community, Environment, and Policy Department, MEZCOPH, where she works with the Inter-tribal Council of Arizona to improve Indigenous data governance policies in Arizona.
Ashton Gatewood, Choctaw
I am in the process of finishing up my Applied Anthropology Master's program at Oregon State University focusing on Indigenous people's birthing experiences in Oregon over time and space. Using ethnographic and archival methods, I am examining the changes that have occurred that influence an Indigenous birthers experience. Through an Indigenous epistemology, my project draws from Indigenous ethical and moral standards that go beyond those set by Western academia, ensuring that this project does not recreate historical anthropological exploitation.
Haluuġivsi! As a doctoral candidate at the Universtiy of Alaska Anchorage clinical-community psychology program, I am currently a clinical resident at the University of Washington in their behavioral medicine track. Along with two other residents, I recently applied for a UW Clinician-Scientist Training Program research grant! We proposed the following project: Intersectional Considerations and Access to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, with the following aims: 1) Examine the intersectional impact of membership to multiple socially disadvantaged groups on the probability of consultation with a multidisciplinary rehabilitation medicine department, 2) Examine the intersectional impact of membership to multiple socially disadvantaged groups on time until IPR admission. We find out later this month if we are awarded this grant funding. This summer I passed my dissertation! The NW NARCH fellowship provided guidance, reassurance, and grant writing experience that contrubited to the the perserverence, strength confidence I needed to navigate the winding, swift current of my dissertation. It was accepted in the Women + Therapy special issue "Authentically Native and Striving to Thrive." I am currently finalizing my draft for submission. My dissertation methodology was accepted in the non-peer reviewed, online SAGE publication special call for Diversifying and Decolonizing Research as a methods case study. This fall I look forward to applying for clinical post-doctoral positions for rehabilitation psychology.
Jamie Wilson, Navajo
Travis Combest, Chickasaw
Alicia Duncan, Tlingit, T'akdeintaan Clan
At the start of 2023, I decided to step away from grants at BNWC and work on a grant with the State of Montana. After completing the state grant in May, I decided that my heart is here at the clinic and working towards a culturally based environment for our patients. I could not imagine my professional life anywhere else. When I returned in May, I returned as the Cultural Services Manager, for our newly established Cultural Department. It has been a challenging, yet rewarding, venture these last few months. Next week, my Cultural Specialist and I will head to Tulalip, WA for the National Tribal Opioid Summit. To say that I am excited to grow in this position and develop more programs for BNWC is would be an understatement. I hope that I have an opportunity to learn more from NARCH in the future!
I have recently completed my PhD from Concordia University of Chicago. I have been presenting abstracts from my research on body composition methods in several doctoral research competitions and am preparing my dissertation on a comparison of body composition methods to be published in a peer-reviewed national research journal.
Stephanie Craig Rushing
Regina Iodate, Cherokee
I am a primary care (internal medicine) and addiction medicine doctor at UW, based at Harborview Medical Center, our county hospital. I teach, see patients, dabble in research, and do other work to try to improve care for people with substance use disorders. I'm also mom to 3 kids (7, 5, 2) and try to spend whatever time I can outside.
Jocelyn James
I am an Epidemiologist in the Public Health Department. I am responsible for disease reporting, data analysis and interpretation, including managing COVID19, flu, RSV, STIs and other data, maintaining our community dashboard, conducting community presentations on COVID19 and STIs and reporting infectious diseases to the state and tribe.
I am currently entering my second year as a PhD Indigenous Health student at the University of North Dakota. I am a contractor with the Albuquerque Indian Health Board; specifically the Albuquerque Area Southwest Tribal Epidemiology Center. I work on several programs.
Jonathan Credo, Navajo/Dine
Leigha Bradford, Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa
Keona Manuelito, Navajo
Over the past 20 years, we have allocated 264 training and fellowship awards to promising American Indian and Alaska Native health researchers. We wondered what life is like for our NARCHies beyond NW NARCH. Here are some of the amazing things a few of our trainees have accomplished.
I am an Associate Professor of Health Promotion; Director of Spirituality, Culture & Health; Co-Director of Engagement and Outreach in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I received my PhD in Preventive & Societal Medicine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2014.
I am finishing M.D./Ph.D. School, defended and received my Ph.D. in Clinical Translational Sciences from the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson in 2022. I will complete the M.D. component in Spring 2024, after which I plan to attend residency for Internal Medicine. My on-going research interests and projects include diversity engagement, environmental contamination in Tribal/Minority/Rural communities, and health disparities.
BEYOND NW NARCH
Association of Public Health Laboratories - Fellowships
RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES
NW NARCH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
JOB OPPORTUNITIES AT NORTHWEST PORTLAND AREA INDIAN HEALTH BOARD
Visit the NPAIHB career page to check out current openings.
Financial support for American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and graduate students interested in population health sciences careers. Rolling deadline. Click below for more info or contact Ashley Thomas.
EXTERNAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
American Association for Cancer Research American Cancer Society Association of Schools for Public Health Fellowships & Internships Cancer Research Education Grants Program Centers for Disease Control & Prevention Engagement, Achievement, and Graduation for Low Income Students (EAGLES) Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health NIH Mentored Quantitative Research Career Award (K25) NIH Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01) NIH Pathway to Independence (K99/R00) The Mercury Project The NCI Transition Career Development Award (K22)
Would you like us to share an opportunity in our next e-News? Send an email to Grazia at gcunningham@npaihb.org.
University of Arizona Graduate Certificate in Indigenous Health
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
OPPORTUNITIES
EASY apple CHIPS
As colder months near, we crave wholesome foods to warm and nourish our souls. Enjoy these recipes submitted by End of Summer Research Training Institute trainee (and one-time Board baby), Pakak Sophie Boerner.
Ingredients Apples (my air fryer fits comfortably 3 medium-sized apples, however, use how many you see fit to your device.) Optional: Cinnamon & A sprinkle of salt Tools Air fryer - a dehydrator will also work, or an oven although the time will vary. Cutting board Sharp knife Directions Preheat air fryer before use for about 3 mins. Slice your apples into thin slices. Add the apple slices to the air fryer and dehydrate at 195 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. I like to check periodically to ensure even crispness of the slices. Once crisp, transfer the now chips to a bowl to cool off for about 10 -15 minutes to obtain maximum crispness. Then enjoy! Optional: Sprinkle some cinnamon and salt directly after slicing the apples to give the chips a fall flavor!
CROCKPOT APPLE CIDER
recipes
Ingredients Apples: depending on the crockpot size, I like to fill my 1.5-gallon crockpot with 4-5 medium-sized apples 1 Orange 1 tbs of Lemon juice Spice of choice: I usually use: 2-4 sticks of cinnamon 1 tbs whole cloves 1tsp whole allspice ¼ cup of brown sugar for flavor (maple syrup also works) Water (enough to just barely cover everything) Tools Knife Cutting board Crockpot Potato masher/blender Cheesecloth/strainer Directions Cut the apples into thick slices – with or without peel, up to your preference (the skins can also make good apple chips). Cut the orange (with peel) into slices. Add all the ingredients into the crockpot including spices, sugar, lemon juice, and water. Cook on high for approximately 3 hours. Remove the whole spices and blend or mash the remaining fruit. Cook on low for another hour or until preference. Strain the solids from the juice using the cheesecloth or strainer (cheesecloth removes more solids from the liquids) into a bowl. Transfer the liquid into a sealable serving container and allow it to cool. I find that the end cider tends to be very concentrated, I would recommend thinning it with water to taste. Additional Tip: The remaining solids have an apple sauce texture, so I keep those to add to breakfasts or eat as a snack. Just make sure it’s blended to taste.
In the fall of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I was living in Alaska. I had been fortunate to be in Alaska, where its isolation and vast geography allowed for a very adventurous and subsistence-full summer. By the time summer was slipping into a rapidly approaching cold fall – much like the termination dust settling further and further down the mountains surrounding Anchorage – we had a freezer full of picked Alaskan berries and frozen salmon. I had thought that harvest season was winding down when on a dark late September weeknight, a friend appeared in my driveway with a trash bag full of Alaska-grown & hand-picked apples. She knew I was an avid baker and thought I might have better use for the small sour apples that had succeeded in Alaska’s short summer. I immediately began thinking about what I could create with these unique Alaskan apples. I settled on two primary recipes. First, Apple Chips - quick prep, easy to make, and delicious enough to finish in one setting at a time. Second, concentrated Apple Cider, which makes for a delicious hot drink on cold autumn nights when added to hot water or heated up.
Pakak Sophie Boerner, MA (Iñupiaq)
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Design by
NIGMS under Award Numbers 1S06GM141002, 5S06GM127164, 5S06GM123543, & S06GM145214. Native American Research Centers for Health Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Grazia Cunningham, MPH NW NARCH Project Manager gcunningham@npaihb.org
CONTACT us
Ashley Thomas, MPH NW NARCH Senior Program Manager athomas@npaihb.org
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