The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC) convened its latest in person meeting in August 2025 in Bethesda, Maryland, and virtually. The meeting brought together TAC members and NIH leadership and staff to facilitate meaningful input on NIH policies, programs, and priorities that affect American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities.
The 2-day meeting featured dialogue on critical topics, including Tribal research ethics and protections; institutional review board processes and research ethics; engagement with NIH’s Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs); Tribal data sovereignty; the NIH unified strategy; and AI/AN research programs. Additionally, the day before the meeting, NIH held the Indigenous Data Sovereignty Policy Tribal Listening Session to gather feedback and recommendations from TAC members on the policy, which is under development.
During the first day of the meeting, NIH ICO Directors participated in a series of panel discussions to update Tribal leaders and attendees on ICO policies, programs, partnerships, and commitments to research that supports AI/AN health. The ICO Directors highlighted their ongoing efforts to collaborate with AI/AN communities to reduce health disparities, strengthen training opportunities for the next generation of researchers, and collaborate on AI/AN research priorities with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and NIH.
On the second day, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., met with the TAC. He acknowledged the TAC’s invaluable guidance and advice, which are important to upholding NIH’s commitment to honoring Tribal sovereignty and advancing health research that meets the unique needs of Tribes and AI/AN communities. He described several priority research areas of interest to Tribes, including nutrition initiatives that can inform culturally tailored nutrition interventions to prevent and manage chronic diseases in AI/AN communities that respect sovereignty and incorporate traditional foods. NIH is also building a platform to support research on chronic disease and developmental disorders. The Director emphasized that the platform could help Tribal communities better understand health patterns while maintaining control over how to use and share Tribal health data. Finally, Dr. Bhattacharya assured participants that NIH is working to make certain that funding and program support for all AI/AN research remain in place.
The insights and recommendations from this meeting inform NIH’s ongoing efforts to ensure that Tribal and AI/AN voices remain central to the agency’s research priorities and decision-making processes. The Tribal Health Research Office will continue working closely with Tribal leaders to develop culturally appropriate research approaches and strengthen collaborative partnerships.
A recording of the meeting is available for viewing.