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The Alaska Indigenous Research Program (AKIRP) is a collaboration between the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and Alaska Pacific University (APU) to increase capacity for conducting culturally responsive and respectful health research that addresses the unique settings and health needs of Alaska Native and American Indian people. Since 2019, AKIRP has built a network of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, researchers, health professionals and scientists with 634 participants from Alaska, the contiguous US, and internationally.
AKIRP’s goal is to bring together Indigenous and Western worldviews and ways of knowing in an effort for mutual understanding, reciprocity, respect and the co-production of solutions for health solutions for Alaska Native and American Indian people. This is known as “Two-Eyed Seeing” or “Etuaptmumk,” a framework that was first proposed by Mi’kmaw Elders Albert and Murdena Marshall as a way to bridge Western science and Indigenous knowledge.
The program will run in-person in Anchorage from May 4-22. You may register for one or all three weeks. Scholarships are available for registration, airfare, lodging at the APU dormitory, and/or a small stipend to cover travel to/from the Anchorage airport.
Scholarship requests will be awarded by March 15.
Register here now: https://whova.com/portal/registration/r9o-dCCudiuQAkr-EPQX/
Program Courses
Week One | Advanced Research, May 4-8 – This week is designed for experienced researchers and health professionals. Speakers and presentations will cover Indigenous and Western knowledge and ways of knowing, decolonizing research practices, Indigenous research methodologies, bringing together multiple perspectives in research, community-based participatory and culturally responsive research, and historical trauma and research.
Week Two | Research Ethics, May 11-15, 2026 – This week is designed for all levels of research experience. Presentations and speakers will cover the history of research in Alaska, historical trauma, decolonizing research practices, Tribally driven health research and research review, human subjects research principles, Institutional Review Board (IRB) review, culturally responsive dissemination practices, and principles of community-based participatory research.
Week Three | Introductory Research, May 18-22 – This week is designed for those who are interested in health research with little to no experience. Presentations and speakers will cover an introduction to Indigenous and Western research methods, exploration of different types of health research, the One Health perspective, introduction to community-based participatory research, culturally responsive communication and dissemination, introduction to history and ethics health research in Alaska, and how to integrate Indigenous methods into public health.
