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.

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

Lecture overview: Connection between culture and science

In a new resource, THRO summarizes key observations made by Dr. Donald Warne in his November 2021 guest lecture about the interconnectedness of Native culture and science. Recorded lecture is also available.

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.

October 27, 2022

Honoring Health Newsletter – Fall 2022

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

September 29, 2022

New supplemental information to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy

NIH releases supplemental information to the NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy on “Responsible Management and Sharing American Indian/Alaska Native Participant Data” that was developed in response to the Tribal Consultation on the Draft NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy. The new information promotes trustworthy and mutually beneficial research partnerships respectful of Tribal sovereignty and incorporates input from Tribal leaders, the NIH Tribal Advisory Committee, and public comments from Native organizations and community members, researchers, institutions, data providers and users, and others. To learn more about this policy, you can watch the recordings of a two-part webinar series. In the second webinar, NIH takes a deeper dive into considerations for privacy protections for sharing human participant data when working with Native communities.

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.