Project aims to expand indigenous research practice at TCUs

 

POSTED ON Nov 16, 2023

 

The American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) has announced a 2024 summer health Institute for current Tribal College and University (TCU) students or recent TCU graduates.

According to the AIHEC, the Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) – Building Indigenous Research Capacity in Health (BIRCH) Project aims to strengthen the health research and education pipeline infrastructure for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) college students pursuing health careers at tribal colleges and universities (TCUs).

The project seeks to expand indigenous research practice at TCUs and establish the path for TCUs to become the central hub of health science research in their communities.

Through the AIHEC NARCH-BIRCH project, TCU students will have access to various opportunities to advance their skills in a way that incorporates health, Native culture, and Native ways of knowing into healthcare and research education and career journeys.

The hybrid four-week health sciences summer institute focuses on skill-building for health research careers, networking, and mentoring. Students will observe and participate in data collection and analysis activities, experiencing the life of a research scientist.

The course content includes online introductory indigenous health sciences courses, such as biostatistics, epidemiology, public health, and qualitative/quantitative research methods, with health informatics embedded in every class, all designed and delivered from the Native perspective.

The course is scheduled to take place online from July 15-19, 2024, for one week of asynchronous education.

Then, from July 22-August 2, 2024, it will take place onsite at the University of North Dakota (UND) School of Medicine and Health Sciences for two weeks.

Finally, from August 5-9, 2024, it will take place online for one last week of asynchronous education.