April 27, 2023

Heavy Metals Health Risks in Native American Communities

Session II of the NIEHS Superfund Research Program (SRP) Progress in Research webinar series will feature SRP-funded projects from the University of New Mexico SRP Center (collaborating with Indigenous partners from Navajo Nation and Laguna Pueblo), and Columbia University Northern Plains SRP Center (collaborating with Tribal communities from North and South Dakota) that focus on the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous metals. Learn more and register for the live webinar on Friday, May 5, 2023, from 12 to 2:00 p.m. E.D.T. 

April 21, 2023

Honoring Health Newsletter – Spring 2023

The Honoring Health newsletter provides THRO-curated Tribal health research news and information from across NIH. Check out the Spring 2023 issue to learn about THRO’s new director, Long COVID resources, funding and training opportunities, research highlights, and more.

April 11, 2023

Registration for the 2023 RADx®-UP Scientific Meeting is Open

The NIH RADx®-Underserved Populations (RADx®-UP) initiative will hold its annual Scientific Meeting virtually on May 3, 2023, from 1 to 5 p.m. E.T. Scheduled presentations include an update about the Cherokee Nation Community-Driven Program for Testing and Contact Tracing (Cherokee PROTECT) survey, and COVID-19 monitoring methods, building capacity, and Indigenous data sovereignty with a Northern Plains Tribe.

March 27, 2023

Tracking COVID-19 Through Wastewater

NIH is funding studies on the use of wastewater testing to monitor SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including in Tribal communities. Dr. Otakuye Conroy-Ben (Oglala Lakota) and her colleagues hope that the groundwork she has done will offer a template that any Tribe with wastewater treatment can use to monitor COVID-19 on their own.

March 16, 2023

NIH Director’s Statement: Dr. Karina Walters selected to lead NIH Tribal Health Research Office

NIH announces the selection of Karina L. Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W., an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, as director of THRO.

February 17, 2023

The Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer Program Encourages Native Applicants

The NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) encourages SBIR/STTR Program applications from entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, including American Indian and Alaska Native business owners.

December 7, 2022

Webinar: Safety and health training for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Western U.S.

The Western Region Universities Consortium (WRUC), funded by the NIEHS Worker Training Program, partners with Tribal entities in the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska to provide training on hazardous waste, hazmat transport, and emergency response, specifically in underserved and remote Tribal communities. Learn more about environmental training and job pathways for unemployed residents of rural Alaska communities disproportionately impacted by environmental health exposures.

December 7, 2022

Event recording: 2022 annual NIH Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting

NIH hosts its annual TAC meeting, including virtual presentations from leaders across NIH and others involved in Tribal health research.

November 16, 2022

Event recording: Protecting the health of future generations through community-based research and actions

THRO and NIEHS hosted a Native American Heritage Month virtual lecture about NIEHS-funded environmental health research in Alaska with co-presenters Viola “Vi” Waghiyi and Pamela Miller, of the Alaska Community Action on Toxics. Hear stories about the region and learn how this collaborative research began as the presenters discuss their decades of experience conducting community-based participatory research with local Tribes, including how their work has been informed by traditional and community knowledge, a summary of findings, and policy actions and interventions to protect health.

November 1, 2022

App provides culturally tailored fish consumption guidelines to Anishinaabe

A phone app for reducing exposure to harmful contaminants from fish consumption was developed for the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe and associated Great Lakes Tribes). It is called Gigiigoo’inaan, which means “our fish” in the Ojibwe language. Phone apps and online environmental health literacy resources can be effective ways to reach community members with important health information.