ANTHC and partners create research program to address Native health disparities in Alaska and Montana
January 20, 2017
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and partners were awarded a five-year, $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address health disparities facing Native communities in Alaska and Montana.
The grant will fund the American Indian-Alaska Native Clinical and Translational Research Program. Montana State University will be the home institution for this project. Partner organizations include Blackfeet Community College, University of Montana, University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Anchorage and Southcentral Foundation.
The center will focus on Native health, as Alaska Native and American Indian communities experience some of the most significant health disparities of any ethnic or racial group in the United States. Historically, our Alaska Native people have been largely deprived of the benefits of health research available to other U.S. populations.
The aim of the project is threefold:
- Strengthen the each state’s clinical and translational research infrastructure
- Increase numbers and develop the careers of clinical investigators, (especially Alaska Native and American Indian people) in Native health disparities research
- Expand and support sustainable and culturally responsible community engagement research that will diminish health disparities in both states
The participating organizations will share resources, join in training opportunities and collaborate on various studies to increase clinical research capacity in both Alaska and Montana. Throughout the partnership, seasoned researchers will mentor newer investigators, helping them build independent, self-sustaining clinical research programs.
ANTHC clinical and research services staff will lead the “Research design, epidemiology and biostatistics” core component of this program, supporting all research studies funded through the program. The program supports ANTHC’s Strategic Initiative designed to increase Alaska Native and American Indian research resources.
For additional information about the American Indian-Alaska Native Clinical and Translational Research Program, contact Abbie Wolfe at awolfe@anthc.org.