September 1, 2022

NIH launches challenge to advance community-based maternal health research

Part of the Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, a $3 million challenge competition seeks to encourage community-based and advocacy organizations to develop the infrastructure and capabilities necessary to conduct maternal health research. The initiative places special emphasis on health disparities and engaging underrepresented populations in research, including American Indian and Alaska Native and Black women who are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women.

August 23, 2022

Strengthening Communities: Opportunities for Native Youth Webinar Recording

Sponsored by the NIH HEAL Initiative, Strengthening Communities: Opportunities for Native Youth is a pre-recorded, 60-minute webinar that introduces Native teens and young adults to ways they can strengthen their communities through substance use prevention. Viewers can learn about careers in prevention research and practice, community-based prevention and education opportunities, and ways to get involved.

August 5, 2022

I Strengthen My Nation – NIDA Challenge Awards

This video showcases the winners of the I Strengthen My Nation Challenge Competition from NIDA and We R Native. This competition involved Native youth between the ages of 14-25 using art or community projects to share their ideas about Indigenous resilience to substance misuse.

August 1, 2022

Burning plastic can affect air quality, public health

Environmental Factor highlights the work of NIEHS-funded researchers to examine the harmful effects that burning plastic waste can have on human health and the environment. This includes a solid waste disposal project from the Center for Native Environmental Health Equity Research, Navajo Nation, Crow Nation, and the Cheyenne River Sioux.

July 20, 2022

Communicating about Tribal health research

Dr. David Wilson, the director of THRO, wrote a post for NIH’s Science, Health, and Public Trust blog about the importance of understanding history of the Tribes in U.S. to better communicate with and about Native communities.

July 12, 2022

Student Spotlight with Leah Nez

In a Q&A with THRO, Leah Nez discusses her background, experience as a post baccalaureate fellow with NIH, her path to studying bioethics, and advice for other Native students interested in science research and health.

June 30, 2022

Tribal Consultation: NIH IMPROVE Initiative Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence, June 30, 2022, at 2:00p.m. ET

The IMPROVE (Implementing a Maternal health and Pregnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone) supports research dedicated to reducing preventable causes of maternal death and improving the health of women before, during, and after their delivery. NIH requests input including how to encourage applications from American Indian and Alaska Native researchers interested in proposing a Native-focused center.

June 28, 2022

Treating anxiety and depression during the pandemic with a mobile app

An NIH article highlights NIMH-funded research that will study the effectiveness of a new mobile app designed to help people who have experienced worse anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study will focus on communities who have been significantly affected by the pandemic, including American Indian, Alaska Native, Black, and Latinx populations.

June 16, 2022

Life expectancy in the U.S. increased between 2000-2019, but widespread gaps among racial and ethnic groups exist

An NIH-funded study examined trends in life expectancy by county. The study found that while the overall life expectancy in the U.S. increased by 2.3 years, the increase was not consistent among racial and ethnic populations, including AI/AN populations which had the lowest life expectancy of all the counties.

June 1, 2022

Honoring Health Newsletter – Summer 2022

This newsletter provides THRO-curated Tribal health research and funding news from across NIH.