NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., joined other U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Operating Division Directors for a meeting with the HHS Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) in Aquinnah, Massachusetts. Dr. Bhattacharya reiterated his commitment to advancing the health and wellness of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities across the United States, explaining that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is working toward a unified strategy that aligns its priorities and funding across all 27 Institutes and Centers.
Dr. Bhattacharya also shared that, in earlier conversations with the NIH Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), he had highlighted several NIH priority areas that support and align with Make America Healthy Again goals. One of these focus areas is nutrition research, including efforts to better understand how diet influences chronic conditions, disease management, and long-term disease prevention. NIH continues to invest in research—especially through long-term studies—that explores how specific foods and dietary environments affect chronic disease outcomes.
Dr. Bhattacharya also emphasized NIH’s commitment to strengthening Tribally focused research grants and advancing efforts to reinstate grants and contracts that were mistakenly categorized under diversity, equity, and inclusion. He provided updates on policies that directly impact research involving Native communities. The NIH Office of Human Subjects Research Protections, in collaboration with the NIH Tribal Health Research Office (THRO), recently developed and published an internal NIH policy focused on the institutional review board review of intramural research involving AI/AN populations. This new policy requires all NIH intramural projects involving AI/AN communities to undergo initial review by THRO, ensuring appropriate engagement with Tribes and honoring Tribal sovereignty throughout the research process.
Additionally, the NIH Office of Science Policy, in partnership with THRO, released new NIH guidance outlining options for the respectful and appropriate disposition of biospecimens collected from Tribal populations. The guidance was created with direct input from the NIH TAC and through Tribal Consultation.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also participated in the STAC meeting, reaffirming his commitment to Tribal communities. He welcomed back THRO Director Karina Walters, Ph.D., M.S.W., who had previously been placed on administrative leave and was later reinstated under his leadership, emphasizing her deep expertise and strong commitment to advancing Tribal health research.